Phantom Mercenary
by Sonochu
Summary: Danny is a mercenary during the American Civil War. He is hired by the Manson's to find their daughter who ran away to join the war effort in Atlanta. What will come of this? Will Danny be able to save her before she is killed in action? Why do the Manson's seem to be hiding something? DxS AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hello one and all! I got great news! This is my historical DP story I have been working on lately. Now, I spent hours checking and double checking facts to make this as historically accurate as I can. So far, I think this story is better than WWM. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy.**

**AJ: I don't know who Tyler Perry is. Also, the movie theater thing is really hilarious for anyone who isn't me. Sigh. Time for the questions.**

**1. ****Everytime**** I go camping. I used to be a Boy Scout and am now in another group that camps a lot. I enjoy it but I hate going to sleep.**

**2. Yep.**

**3. No, I feel very awkward without a blanket. I could but I wouldn't want to.**

**4. If there is no penalty, never sleep. If there is one Always sleep. I would die without sleeping**

**Inviso****-Al: Everyone wants a sequel so I guess I will give it a shot later. I did think of a new storyline you might not see coming though. I hope you enjoy this new story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. Anything else in this story (besides the plot) isn't owned by me.**

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A dark haired boy with pure blue eyes was watching as three Confederate sympathizers sat over a table. They were discussing a plan to overthrow the West Virginian government. They apparently wanted West Virginia to assimilate back into one unified Virginia; something Danny's employer was against. That is where Danny stepped in. He was supposed to silently kill them so their plan never came into fruition and no one could link his employer to it. Only problem was that he had until the end of the night to finish this mission. Tomorrow morning the sympathizers would be getting a shipment of 40 Springfield rifles. That was enough firepower to take down the barely established state government and hecould not let that happen.

Danny took his knife out of its sheath. He has had it ever since he joined the 12th Indiana Regimental Infantry a year and a half ago. Of course he was no longer in it. He left when his term was up; just couldn't take watching mounds of men dying in seconds.

One of the three sympathizers walked away from the table and out of the building. The man turned a corner into an empty street with Danny following closely behind. the man knew no more as Danny used his knife to cut the man's throat. Blood spilled onto Danny's hands and blade. This wasn't the first time he had blood on his hands and definitely not the last. He grabbed the warm corpse and quickly hid it in a nearby box. It should buy him some time to finish his job.

_One down, two more to go._

Danny reentered the old building and noticed the 2 sympathizers still talking over a table.

"John, once those weapons get here the Yanks will be runnin for the hills."

"I know, I know, but I can't help but feel like we are being watched. You don't think someone is listening in on us, do you?" The man started frantically looking around the dim building. Danny was too far hidden to be able to be seen.

_This won't be so bad. I have dealt with worse_; _just two men. If I catch them by surprise then they will be dead before they can do anything._

Danny grabbed a second knife from his belt and held it in his hand alongside his first. He has hated using guns. After seeing what they could do he vowed to use them only in emergencies. He still carried a fully loaded pistol on the back of his belt though.

_The range is a little far for my tastes, but it is doable._

With extreme precision, Danny threw the knife right into the shoulder of the first sympathizer and, using the shock of the scene, he ran up and stabbed the second sympathizer in the heart while having his other hand hold the guy's back as he fell. Finding his job done, Danny was just about to walk out of the building when he heard a gasp come from the first sympathizer.

"Why did you do this?" he asked as he tried to cover up his wound with his hand.

Danny turned to face the dying man.

"I did this because my employer told me to."

The man could feel himself getting weaker from blood loss.

"You killed us for the money!" the man said in an accusing tone.

Danny nodded his head before taking his first knife and stabbing the man again. He wasn't merciless. If a dying man was suffering he would try to ease it. After giving a tilt of his black hat as a sign of respect, he turned around and walked out of the building.

By morning all three bodies would be found by the local police but Danny would be long gone. He was heading toward his employer to get paid.

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"Mr. Pierpont", a servant said. "The man you hired is here."

A small smile grew on Pierpont's face as he looked away from his newspaper. He had been waiting for Danny all morning.

"Good, send him in please."

The servant left and a couple seconds later Danny came walking into the room.

"Mr. Pierpont," Danny greeted.

Pierpont set his newspaper on his desk to face Danny.

"I see why they call you the Phantom Mercenary. Two killed from stab wounds and one from a cut throat with no witnesses. Nothing tying you or me to the job. Excellent job Mr.?"

"Phantom. just call me Phantom."

"Okay Mr. Phantom." Pierpont reached under his desk and pulled out a train ticket, a deed to a house, and a sack full of cash. "Here is your payment. Safe passage to Kentucky, a good sized house and 2,000 U.S. Dollars. Might I ask why you want to go to Kentucky?"

Danny put the sack in his backpack and the ticket in his pocket.

"New beginnings of sorts. It is also a border state so there will be lots of business for my kind."

Piermont looked Phantom up and down before replying,

"Yes I suppose there is. Since you are such a good soldier for hire, why don't you work for the Pinkertons? I heard there is a lot of business to be made with them."

Danny frowned and balled his hands up into fists. This was obviously bringing up bad memories.

"The Pinkertons and me don't get along. I did a job for them a little bit ago and they didn't like how it was handled."

Pierpont could tell he was leading this man with several weapons into bad territory and he didn't want to get shot or worse. He had more important things to deal with; like this dammed war.

"Well I don't see what the problem could be. You did you job well. Just remember by the end of the war you will have to pick a side. I hope it is the right one."

Mr. Pierpont stared at Danny as if surveying his character. Danny gave his best smile and said.

"I served in the Union during the first part of this bloody war. I already made my allegiances."

Accepting this, Pierpont smiled back and offered his hand to shake which the mercenary took.

"Well it was nice doing business with you. Jones," Pierpont called to his servant.

"Yes sir?"

"Please escort Mr. Phantom out of the statehouse."

"yes sir."

Danny left the place to board a train heading to a place just outside of Perryville, Kentucky. Apparently a battle happened there two years ago and he wanted to pay his respects.

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**There. Mr. Pierpont is a real person during the war if you were wondering. That is the prologue of the story. I have great plans for this. I also have two more stories you should be seeing in the coming days. Want to say something? Leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Everyone. I want to thank all the people who reviewed my story and gave it a shot. I also want to thank anyone who has helped with my story. There are too many people to name but you know who you are. Enough with that; on with the story. By the way, Danny is not a halfa. He is a full human with no superhuman abilities!**

**AJ: Aww no questions. Fine fine, I will try to get on with my life. Sniffle.**

**Disclaimer: Sonochu incorporated in no way owns Danny Phantom, though it does own this story.  
**

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Danny had been on this train for several hours with nothing to do. The only thing keeping him from going insane was the view of Kentucky countryside and eavesdropping on unsuspecting passengers. He was currently listening in on a conversation being held by two Southern gentlemen.

"Joe, did you hear what happened in Cold Harbor?" one asked.

"No, what is it?"

"General Grant, Commander of the Union Army near Virginia, tried to attack Cold Harbor several times, but Old Fighting Lee never gave up and was eventually able to drive him back."

Danny could just imagine the grin on their faces after hearing about a Southern Victory. There haven't been too many of those lately.

"Lee is a true Southern Gentleman. State over nation I always say!"

"I'll drink to that!" the other said.

Danny didn't understand why everyone thought General Robert E. Lee was a gentleman. Any man who sends someone else off to die is no gentleman. Not by any definition of the word. It also didn't help that the South was fighting a losing war. Multiple campaigns were taking place all throughout the South; yet they still fought to the death.

_What is the war even about anyways? It sure as hell __ain't__ about slavery! I don't see why this war would be about states' rights either._

Danny didn't have much time to think about this because the train suddenly came to a stop.

_Looks like I am here._

Danny grabbed his pack full of necessities and walked off the train with the other passengers. He then turned his gaze to Perryville.

He was a little surprised by what he saw. Perryville was a small town. It had some stores, a sheriff's office, houses, and many other buildings, but most of Perryville was just fields.

_Thousands of men fought here? There is nothing here to really fight for._

Danny could just see two long lines of men; one blue, one grey, shooting at each other with cannon fire shredding entire areas to pieces. The smell of gunpowder in the air as smoke would rise and block out the sun. One side retreating leaving hundreds of their dead and wounded writhing in pain. The other side cheering just before they learned how much died the had.

Danny has seen it many times before and would most likely see it many more. He had to watch his best friend die in his hands from a gunshot wound. He had to watch as friends from his platoon were blown away from a single cannon ball. He had to watch as entire rebel divisions were cut down due to his rifle fire. He has seen things that no man's conscience should have to deal with. All in the name of liberty and equality.

Danny tightly gripped the deed to his house.

_That is why I am here though. To make a new life for myself. Even if it is based off of some skills I learned while in the army._

Danny finally stepped off the platform and into the town to go looking for his house.

The mercenary has been wandering around looking for work for a week now.

He honestly thought it would be a lot easier to find a job. A border state should be ripe with people wanting dirty jobs done from both the North and the South.

Well he did have a meeting with a Mr. Manson later today, but he though it wouldn't work out. The man seemed too conceited for Danny's tastes.

Trying to ignore some odd stares from the local townspeople, Danny walked into a shop and bought some food. Everyone has been looking at him weirdly ever since he walked into town. Maybe it isn't too normal for some random person to show up with a house already bought and several weapons on his person.

Danny shrugged the thought off as he paid for the food in his basket and walked back to his house.

It was a fair looking house. It was a plain white house with the usual black roofing. It had one lone chimney that he would rarely use and two windows in the front that were blocked so no one could see into. Not much to look at, but it would do.

Danny was a little mad when he found his door wide open and a man standing in the middle of the room smoking a cigar.

"What are you doing in my house?" Danny growled while putting his hand on the sheathe of one of his knives. He would be able to throw a knife a lot faster than the man would be able to shoot him.

The man eyed the position of Danny's hand and narrowed his eyes while taking the cigar out of his mouth.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Mr. Fenton. I am just here to escort you to the Manson's. I am the leader of the local law enforcement here after all."

Danny still eyed the man suspiciously. Something didn't seem right about him.

"Why are you helping the Manson's?"

The man gave him a toothy grin showing his yellow and malnourished teeth.

"Let's just say I owe them a favor." the man returned his cigar to his mouth and walked up to Danny. "So are you coming or what?" he said while releasing smoke towards Danny.

The mercenary used his hands as a fan and tried to blow the smoke away.

"Fine I am coming." he said while glaring at the man. "By the way, don't smoke in my house."

The man nodded before walking out of the house with a following Danny.

It didn't take long for Danny and the man to reach the Manson's mansion. It was the biggest thing Danny has ever seen. Even bigger than the White House. It was all white with pulled next to the entrance and a huge fountain spouting water. It looked beautiful and Danny hated it.

A tall blonde haired man opened the door and let Danny in. The mercenary took off his hat and entered the mansion.

"Mr. Fenton." he greeted. "That will be all Jeffrey. You can go back to town now."

The sheriff tipped his hat and walked into the carriage that brought him and Danny.

The blonde haired man led him to a lone room with only a long red haired lady with crazy eyes in it. The man then turned to Danny.

"Mr. Fenton, I am Jeremy Manson and this is my wife Pamela." the man said gesturing to his wife.

Pamela took out her hand which Danny grabbed and lightly kissed.

"Ah, a gentleman" she exclaimed while smiling. "We don't have too many of those anymore."

Jeremy stared at Danny before saying. "Yes, a Fenton with manners. Who would have thought?"

That earned a glare from Danny who was trying to not punch the man in the face.

"What sir? I think I misheard."

Jeremy stopped staring and walked over to his desk.

"You want a job, right?" he grabbed a picture on his desk and handed it to Danny. The picture was of a girl about 18-20 years of age. She had short hair and liked to frown a lot. He couldn't tell much else because the photo was in black and white. "This is our daughter Samantha Manson. She ran away from home and we think she joined the Union war effort. We asked around and the only regiment recruiting is the 17th Kentucky. They are currently moving to Georgia to join General Sherman. We want you to find her and bring her back to us."

Danny was still skeptical of the man. He raised a brow and asked. "How much are you paying?"

Jeremy stood up as straight as he could.

"Enough to feed you for years."

Danny frowned at the man's statement.

"I want numbers please."

"Twenty grand."

Danny grinned and offered his hand.

"Nice doing business with you."

Jeremy too smiled and shook his hand.

"Good luck Mr. Fenton. Now, I would like to talk to my wife." Danny turned around and walked out of the house. Thinking about how he should proceed.

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**Hope you all liked it and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone. I have a new, yet short, chapter for this story. I want to thank anyone who has read Graduation Day. That story was very personal for me so it means a lot. Hope you all enjoy!**

**Inviso-Al: Danny will do his best and hopefully not get shot. I can be pretty impulsive so we never know. By the way, do you read **_**Make a Wish**_**? I only ask because I have been answering your questions on that story.**

**AJ: Glad to know I am not a rapist and that you have read all my stories. I don't think this site would be a good site to stalk people. Who knows? I could be wrong. I am currently revising **_**Forgotten Homework**_** because I know I could make it better. I never knew I made such a good profile though. Anyways, question time.**

**1. I am a pretty good guitar player. Since it is meant for right handed people and I am a leftie, I thank that is an accomplishment. Apparently I also have a knack for writing too.**

**2. If you had asked me four years ago, I would have said outcast. Now I would say I am a big ole nerd.**

**I gots a question of my own. What state do you live in?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing besides this story.**

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Danny put the last of his supplies in his sack. It included everything he will need for his upcoming journey; Some food and water, a pan for cooking, a sleeping bag for sleeping, and some spare ammo just in case. He also had the two knives and the pistol he always carried on his belt. Since he was going into rebel territory he could never be too safe. He was all ready to head out when the sheriff from the day before stepped into his house carrying a Henry repeating rifle.

Danny knew a lot about those rifles. One of the men in his regiment had one. In the right hands it can fire 28-to30 rounds in a minute. A freaking minute! If a Union soldier had a Henry rifle and was shot, other Union soldiers would make it an effort to take the weapon. Not only did it give them more firepower, but it prevented the gun from falling into Confederate hands.

"Good afternoon sir," Danny greeted eyeing the rifle in the sheriff's hands.

The man put the rifle in one of his hands and reached into his pocket with the other to pull out a cartridge full of bullets. He set them on the table right next to Danny.

"The Manson's wanted you to have this as a going away present. You should already have the gunpowder needed to use this, right?"

Danny didn't make any attempt to reach for the rifle. He just stared at the sheriff skeptically.

"Where did they get that? Last I checked, they are a little rare to find; expensive too."

The man didn't bother to answer the question. He walked back to the door and faced Danny once more.

"Do you need anything else before you leave?"

Danny thought about it for a second.

"Just a train ticket to get me to the borders of Kentucky."

The sheriff smirked at that. Danny was really starting to hate him. He seemed really arrogant, but at least he wasn't smoking in Danny's house again.

"Just tell the person at the ticket booth you are the Phantom Mercenary. You will be surprised by how much sway the Manson's have. That reminds me, it also shows you why you shouldn't mess around with their generosity. Don't think they can't kill you if they want to."

All Danny did was glare at the Sheriff. The sheriff took it as a sign to leave and said,

"Good luck Phantom. God knows you're gonna' need it."

Danny could hear the sheriff laughing at his own joke as he left the house. The mercenary was alone once more. He stared at the rifle, debating if he should take it with him.

_It is a very valuable and rare rifle. I mine as well take it just in case. Then again, I don't trust the Manson's or that sheriff. Also I hate guns. I could always sell it though. Any money is good money._ It would also make a good last resort weapon.

Eventually, Danny decided to just take the gun and go. Brown sack over his black jacket, He quickly grabbed his black hat and walked out the door heading to the nearest train station.

He arrived there after a couple of minutes of walking.

"One ticket to Harlan please."

The man in the ticket booth eyed Danny up and down.

"Why you headin to Harlan? You a Reb spy trying to flee?"

Danny shook his head.

"No I am on business for the Manson's."

This seemed to intrigue the man as he eyes slightly widened.

"What's your name son?"

"I am called the Phantom Mercenary."

The man's eyes almost popped out of his head with that statement. He quickly handed Danny a ticket to his destination.

"Here you go. No payment necessary. Good day sir!" he stammered.

Danny looked at the man oddly before slowly walking away and boarding his train.

_That was odd. Exactly how much pull do these Manson's have? Should I be doing this?_

"Attention passengers, we will be leaving in one minute so please be in your seat and ready to depart."

Danny put his sack on the compartment above him and sat down in his seat.

_Great another train ride. At least the South doesn't have as many trains. Then again, the South if full of soldiers who want me killed._

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**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well everyone, I made a bit of an oops. I don't know why I said Danny had gunpowder. I probably should have looked up how to shoot a Henry rifle beforehand. Even a Springfield, the normal weapon used by the Union, didn't need pure gunpowder. You just needed to have a cartridge for it. Well, I will try to get my facts straight. Also, for anyone who is interested, I have finished revising Forgotten Homework and it is now with the story!**

**Inviso-Al: We actually have some time until Danny meets Sam. Expect them both to be very stubborn though.**

**AJ: Hello ole pal. I don't have much to say so question time.**

** 1. I don't know how much revenue Danny Phantom brought in, Nickelodeon is a business after all, but I would continue it based on what I know. I would first change how the 3****rd**** season went. I probably would have drawn out the town accepting Phantom as their protector. I would also want one of Vlad's minor schemes to actually work. I hate how a villain can never EVER win anything.**

**2. In this Danny is going to do his best to complete his mission and try not to die. Heh, good luck with that. In Make a Wish, Danny is going to realize just how far his feelings go for her and try to reverse the wish. Next story I will not use Desiree as an antagonist. It's weird how my first two divergents both involve Desiree.**

**3. I heard DP might be coming back, but I can't find a credible source to verify this. **

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Danny was able to get off the train without a hitch. Now came the hard part of his journey. He had to cross the border into Rebel territory. That means now only avoiding the Confederates, but also the Union soldiers. They don't take too kindly to people joining the enemy.

He would have asked the Manson's for an easy way pass them, but he didn't trust them one bit. Something about them just seemed...off. That left three options. He could go by boat, but the Union's blockade over the South is getting stronger and stronger. He could go alone through the border, but if he runs into trouble he is dead. His last option was to go with a small convoy. They would be protected against enemies, but would also be pretty conspicuous. Danny chose the convoy.

_What is the easiest was to learn about illegal activity._

Danny looked at all the buildings and came across a very unique looking building called Jack's bar.

It was made entirely of wood that looked like it was cracking. Any paint originally added to it already came off. Its sign, which was supposed to use four nails, was barely hanging on one.

_This looks like my best bet_.

Danny tried walking in as nonchalantly as he could, but still felt a couple of stares at the back of his head. He sat down on a stool next to the barkeep.

"What can I get ya," the keep asked while cleaning an empty beer glass. He couldn't help but stare at the beautiful rifle Danny brought in.

Just the smell of all the smoke and alcohol in the air was making Danny nauseous.

"I'm not here to drink. I want information."

The bar keep put down the glass and moved closer to Danny.

"Want kind of information you want?"

Danny had to hold back a scowl due to the man's bad breath.

"The illegal kind."

A grin grew on the man's face.

"You know it will cost you, right?"

"Hey barkeep, another round over here!" someone shouted.

The barkeep left Danny to go help another customer before coming back. In the meantime, Danny pulled out 50 bucks from his sack. He handed the money to the barkeep and said,

"I am looking for anyone who is heading east past the border into Virginia."

The man greedily grabbed the money and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Charles over there in the corner is trying to gather a gang to do the same thing," he said while pointing to a man talking to a bunch of other guys in the back of the bar. "They are supposed to leave tomorrow I think. The man is even willing to pay you if you have something he wants."

Danny gave a nod and turned around.

"By the way," the barkeep said. "If you ever change your mind about the drink, it will be on the house."

_Maybe I gave this guy too much money._

The mercenary once again nodded before he walked over to this "Charles".

Charles noticed Danny walking towards him and put down the cup he was drinking.

"What do you want? You look like you just walked out of a battlefield. That would explain why you have that Henry rifle."

Everyone else in the group turned to see who he was talking to. Danny didn't even bat an eye. No emotion showed on his face.

"Well you wouldn't be far off. I used to fight for the Union."

Charles slowly nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay. You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?"

Danny took a seat right across from Charles.

"I am here because I heard you are going to cross the border into the Confederacy and I want in."

Charles looked him up and down before turning to his friends.

"What do you guys think?"

He got a range of answers varying from "No way man. He could be a spy" to "why not he could be helpful". He once again faced Danny.

"What will you be bringing to the table?"

A fake smirk formed on the mercenary's face. It was more for impressions than anything.

"You guys must have heard of the Phantom Mercenary, right?"

Several jaws hit the floor as everyone stared wide eyed at him.

"Y-your t-the Phantom Mercenary?" Charles stuttered.

Danny has been through this too many times to really care anymore.

"Yes, I am. So am I in or what?"

Charles faced his group once again. Everyone was still recovering from their shock to respond.

"Sure, you are hired. Report outside this bar around 7a.m. tomorrow. Oh, and make sure you bring the rifle you got there. You will be guarding us after all. If we make it to Virginia safe and sound you will be paid handsomely." Charles said while pointing to Danny's Henry Rifle.

"Can do."

Danny got up from his seat and walked out of the bar to go find a nice motel to spend the night.

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**Another semi-short chapter. They will get longer though. Hope you all liked it and please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah, I don't have anything to say.**

**AJ: When I first started writing fanfiction, I gave up almost instantly. I literally wrote Megan, the first word WWM, and stopped. I eventually decided to try once again and here we are today. I still don't let anyone I personally know read my stories. They don't like DP and get annoyed when watch it. Answer time.  
**

**1. Does it just have to be romantic pairing? Well I recent chat with another fanfiction writer has changed my view points on them. I like DxS (obviously) and TxJ. I don't have a third because I don't think and other Tucker pairing would work and both pairs were hinted at in the canon. At least to me anyway. non romantically, I would include VladxDanny father/son. I think Vlad has a lot he can teach Danny. No slash though! I don't like slash. Especially when one is fourty and the other is fourteen.**

**2. Yeah, I probably didn't say that correctly. What I meant to say was in the next couple stories I write Desiree won't be a villlain or at least the main antagonist like in both my divergents. **

**Questions:**

**1. Would you care if I post some of these Q and A's on my profile. I think they are good questions and deserve a place there.**

**2. What fandoms do you stick to and do you read DP crossovers?**

**Disclaimer: Sonochu doesn't own Danny Phantom**

* * *

Danny woke up bright and early at a nearby hotel. He walked up to the bar and found the rest of his group already loading up cargo onto the wagons.

"Ah there's the mercenary that could."

Charles said as he walked up to Danny.

"you ready to do your job?" He asked. "All you have to do is guard us and you get a free ride into the other side of the war."

Danny showed the man his rifle.

"Don't worry. I have fought the Rebs before. I know what to do."

"Make sure you have everything you need. We should be heading out within the hour and we won't wait for you."

Danny nodded his head and started checking everything in his bag. He also checked to make sure he had enough ammo for his Henry rifle just in case. He wasn't expecting to be attacked while in the convoy, but he can never be too sure.

It didn't take long for Charles to tell everyone to board the wagons because they were heading out. Danny was put on the very first wagon and sat right next to Charles. They wanted him to be able to immediately react to any threat.

"So how long should it take to get to Virginia?" Danny asked as the wagon started moving. Charles briefly glanced at Danny before giving his reins a good shake to make the horses move faster.

"Well, we are taking some smaller roads and making some detours so about a day or so. We don't want to be spotted after all."

Danny accepted this and started surveying the area. They past a couple of cities with no trouble. The townsfolk just wanted them to buy this or that. They also went into some heavily wooded areas. Danny hated woods. They were easy to use for an ambush. Danny should know. Him and his squad personally ambushed and got ambushed by numerous Confederate patrols. Good thing Danny always carried 10 bullets in his ammo tube.

Normally he would use his knives, but the type of fighting in this situation required a longer ranged weapon.

After going through some less dense woodlands into an extremely forested area, Danny's sixth sense went off. He couldn't help but feel like the caravan was being watched from every direction.

"Charles, stop the wagon and get everyone to grab their weapons. We are being watched."

The driver did as orders and soon everyone was out of their respected wagons and armed with Springfield rifles. They all watched the treeline looking for any movement.

_I sure hope they know how to use their weapons._

Suddenly, a scream was heard.

"Yanks!

With that the battle began

Shots were heard from the trees as several bullets whizzed by Danny's head. He noticed one connect with a girl near the second wagon. It pierced her neck and blood poured out onto the grass. She was dead before she hit the ground.

He quickly fell to the grown returned fire expending all of his ten shots in no time. As Danny opened the ammo tube to put more bullets in it, he noticed some more of the convoy were shot and killed. The grass turned red with all the blood spelt. With 12 more shots in his weapon, Danny decided the only way he was walking out of this alive was to run into the forest and hope he could evade the soldiers.

Danny made a run for it and fired aimlessly at where he thought the enemy was. He heard another bullet whiz by his head and hit Charles in the arm. The man started screaming in agony as be slowly lost blood. The mercenary would have helped him, but another bullet came by and tore through the man's chestleaving a husk of the man that once stood there.

Danny was able to make it into the trees without another incident. He noticed some of the surviving members of his group also running into different parts of the trees closely followed by pursuing Confederate soldiers. Danny turned from the battlefield to hear a cock of a rifle.

"Don't move!" said a very nervous Confederate soldier who was pointing his gun at Danny.

Danny turned to the side so the soldier couldn't see his hand reach down and grab a knife from it's sheathe.

"You don't want to do this." Danny calmly said.

"I have orders to shoot on sight. Take no prisoners." The soldier briefly glanced back at the battlefield. That was all Danny needed. Before the man could react, a knife was lodged right into his brain. The mercenary looked down at the dead body.

"I am sorry but it was either you or me. Rest in peace soldier."

Danny took the knife from the corpse and would've left, but he noticed something interesting happening on the battlefield..

A man wearing an officer's uniform stepped onto the open field. He turned to the private next to him.

"Private, report. What are our casualties?"

"Out of the twenty men that engaged, five are reported dead and two are missing in action. We are still in pursuit of a couple runaways though."

The officer nodded.

"What was in the wagons?"

"A few more weapons, but mainly just food and clothing."

The man surveyed the battle and took a look at all the bodies on it.

"Send a report to General Lee. He will want to know about this. Also get some men to bury the dead."

Danny tightly gripped his weapon. He was contemplating taking a shot at the officer. After all, the man just ordered the killing o many civilians and almost got Danny killed too. He decided against it though. Danny was a man of honor and that wouldn't be honorable. He turned around and walked farther into the forest.

_Well, at least I know I am in the Confederate States now._

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**Tada! Danny made it out alive somehow! That's worth a celebration! Let's celebrate by reviewing!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yet another chapter of Phantom Mercenary. **

**Invisio-Al: Dude, where have you been? I missed you! You story is similar to mine. I started watching DP when I was a kid and I do remember loving it. I stopped watching it and found it on Netflix. Sadly, it is no longer there. I was originally a little disgusted when I found this site. I mean Fanfiction does have a bad reputation. Anyways, I eventually decided to give it a shot and the rest is history. I am glad I can make someone feel special.**

**AJ: Don't worry, I remember you are a girl. I won't change my vocabulary though. Same here with the swearing. I don't swear too much when typing since I don't see the point, but I do say ass and dick a lot. Answers**

**Of course you are one of my favorite reviewers.**

**I meant that more as a joke then anything, but nobody is a nobody; everyone is a somebody. I feel like I am quoting something though I have no idea what.**

**Refer to what I said to Invisio-Al**

**NOBODY IS A STUPID SIMPLE REVIEWER! Also you're fun to talk to.**

**Questions (for everyone)**

**What T.V. shows do you guys watch?**

**What other FF stories have you read? You can just say the memorably ones.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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Danny must have been walking for hours after he escaped the battle. He knew that most of the caravan was probably killed. I few may have escaped though. He ran into a couple more Confederate soldiers searching for stragglers, but he was able to avoid them for the most part. Danny finally made it outside of the forest and came across a town. It wasn't much of a town, with only a few shops and a couple street vendors. Most of the men were probably out defending their homes with the army. That and the Union blockade was hurting everyone. Most of the people probably didn't have the supplies to keep doing business. The mercenary walked up to one of the vendors and bought some fruit. While there he also asked,

"Is there anyone heading out of here and to the Carolinas?"

The man shook his head.

"No, most people are heading west not south. If you are traveling that way you will have to go alone. There have been some reports of highwaymen so be careful."

The man noticed the rifle Danny carried.

"Make sure that is always close to you. Don't want someone to steal such a valuable rifle."

_I guess now that I am in Virginia it won't be so bad traveling alone._

Danny started walking down a path while eating an apple he bought. He turned a corner and came across several men wearing severely worn down confederate uniforms. All of them had a rifle at their lap and were eyeing Danny suspiciously.

"Hey you, where did you get that there rifle? Last I checked that rifle was very rare. Finding ammo for it is even worse. That is, if you live down here." The man walked up to Danny and started circling him.

"Don't remember seeing you before. What's your name?"

"Danny"

The man stopped right behind Danny.

"Well Danny, turn around."

Danny complied to see the man smirking at him.

"Around here you have to pay your taxes. The Confederacy would really like that rifle you have there"

The mercenary showed no emotion on his face; just a stone cold glare. He knew what was going on and what could happen if he messed up. One thing was for sure; if they wanted that rifle they had to go through him.

"If I don't want to give it up?"

The rest of the goons surrounded Danny.

"Look," the leader said. "We both know you aren't a southerner. Hand over that rifle and we will look the other way. How 'bout that, pal?"

Danny thought about it for a couple of seconds before he replied,

"I am not giving this up. Now I know you don't want to start a gunfight here. After all, the Confederacy needs every man."

Danny felt two pistols pressed up against his head.

"I ain't asking this time" the leader said."

Danny still held his calm demeanor.

"You take that shot and everyone will know what the Confederacy will resort to. There will be no chance England or France will support you and the Union will surely win eventually, and for what, a rifle that only one man can use with barely any ammo? I don't mean any trouble. I am just doing some business then I will be off.:

The pistols lowered from Danny's back.

"Get out of here, and I better not see you again."

Danny walked out of the ally. If he had to fight he might have won, but he didn't want it to come to that. Now all he needed to do was find a place to sleep for the day so he can continue his journey. Not so bad, right?

Danny noticed a sign that read "Greg's motel."

_It will have to do._

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**I know this chapter was short. I promise the next coming chapters will be longer. You can hold me to that. I will also try to cut down on the Author's notes so. I appreciate all reviews**.


	7. Chapter 7

**It might help you readers if you read the first three paragraphs in the bottom author's note**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or American history.**

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Danny once again woke up bright and early to greet the brand new day. This time though, he didn't have transportation to continue his journey. He was going to have to leg it.

He walked over to the market and noticed some stalls were opened. He bought some fruit and stuffed it into his sack. If he was going to walk he needed some food.

With supplies done, Danny found the southern path outside of town and started his walk to his next destination. What it was he didn't know.

Danny was beginning. to appreciate the scenery. After walking for 15 miles one starts to get bored. there were many mountains in the distance and, if he looked really far in the other direction, he could make out a shoreline. Even Danny had to admit it was very beautiful.

The mercenary decided that was a perfect spot to take a short rest. As he laid against a nearby tree and ate one of his apples, Two confederate cavalrymen approached him. They were most likely on patrol.

"Hello good sir." the one on the left said as the second one had a firm grip on his carbine which was slightly pointed at Danny. "What's a fine southern gentleman like yourself doing lounging around near a road?"

Danny took another bite out of his apple before chucking it as far as he could and standing up using his Henry rifle as a walking stick. "I am trying to go further south and thought this would be a good way."

"Didn't you think you could get a horse like us, or maybe even get a boat ticket and go that way." the first man said finishing it off with a laugh. The second soon joined in and Danny couldn't help but glare at them.

"Well I would like to buy a horse off of you if I can." Danny said while trying to maintain his cool.

The first man shook his head and put on his best smile. Danny was beginning to think the first one did all the talking while the second one just stood guard. "Can't do that. These horses are property of the Confederacy. You can get one if you enlist though."

Danny put his left hand on his knife's sheathe while his right hand clung to the barrel of his rifle. It didn't seem like either soldier noticed though. "Last I checked the Confederacy was a little under supplied. I also don't agree with all their values."

The man's happy demeanor soon turned threatening as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Danny noticed the situation soon turn very dangerous for him. "No disrespect sir, I don't mind the Confederacy, I just don't condone the act of slavery."

The man nodded his head in understanding and was about to leave, but the second one didn't seem so convinced. He raised his carbine up to Danny's chest and proclaimed,

"I don't believe that's it. I think you part of the Underground Railroad thing we've heard so much about."

The first man didn't seem convinced.

"He is just a poor man! Lower your weapon private!"

The man and his horse walked over to the private and tried to grab his weapon. The carbine jerked to the left and accidentally fired. The bullet flew through the air and lodged itself into a nearby tree. Danny instinctively hid behind his own tree with his rifle raised.

"See I told you he was a traitor!" the second one said as he pulled out a pistol from its holster.

"Stand down private!" the first one shouted as he tried to gain control of the situation. It was to late though because Danny saw the threat and neutralized it with a bullet to the chest. The man fell off his horse gasping for air.

The uninjured cavalryman raised his carbine at Danny.

"You just shot a Confederate soldier!" he shot at Danny but the bullet was stuck in the tree. Danny pulled out a knife and threw it at man who instinctively fell off his horse to avoid it. The soldier slowly got up and drew his sabre. He charged at Danny while giving him the signature rebel yell. Danny dropped his Henry rifle to draw his other knife and used it to parry the first blow. The soldier tried a horizontal slash but Danny somehow blocked it with his short blade. The man jumped back as Danny went in for the stab.

"Who are you really?" the man shouted as he lunged at Danny.

"The Phantom Mercenary!" Danny shouted back as he blocked the attack once again.

"The Union soldier gone rogue? You actually exists?" I thought you were just a myth. You are wanted for several murders throughout the Confederacy!" the man went in for another slash but got in too close to Danny. The mercenary quickly stabbed him in the abdomen and watched as he just stood there for a couple of seconds before he crumbled to the ground defeated.

"I didn't go rogue. I served out my term in the Union."

Danny looked at the scene. One soldier was lying next to a tree dead from a stab wound, another one ,who appears to have a broken neck and a gaping hole in his chest, was upside down after falling off his horse. The second soldier's horse ran off long ago, but the first soldier's horse didn't move. It just stood there eating grass like gunshots didn't even affect it anymore. Danny slowly walked up to the horse and still it didn't move.

It was a pure black horse with a bright white mane and tail. It also had green tinted eyes. Now Danny didn't know much about horses, but he knew a horse with those colors was pretty rare, with green eyes even rarer. After inspecting the legs, Danny concluded that this horse has seen a lot of action and was a good runner. It was either used to loud noises likes guns or was deaf. Danny looked back at the two dead men.

_I do need a way to get to Georgia and the men are already dead. They don't need the horse anymore. It also has a saddle and everything._

Danny looked at the horse and noticed it was staring back at him almost like it wanted him to ride it. After taking a quick look to determine its gender, Danny grabbed his supplied and asked the horse,

"Would you mind if I ride you girl?" the horse bowed its head to let Danny on.

_Whoever trained this horse really knew what he was doing._

Danny mounted the horse and together they road down the path in search of a new town.

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**I decided that it would be stupid to have Danny walk everywhere so I got him a companion that is supposed to look like his Phantom form. Like I said, it should be possible but would be very rare to find.**

**So I decided to try doing a new format for my stories as you probably have noticed. Basically all my author's notes are at the bottom so it doesn't detract from the story. I felt like my author's notes have been half the story lately and would take away from it so I thought this was an easy fix.**

**On to new business, I will be uploading every other day for Make a Wish and Phantom Mercenary. So for this story it is really every four days. I have been writing myself to death and wanted to fix that. This will also lead to longer chapters that I have been getting some suggestions to do. That is all.**

**Reviews:**

**Inviso-Al: But Al! That's a guy's name kinda sorta. The Amazon thing is cool except I don't have any money. Anyways, thanks for being my one and only reviewer for Shield Law. I guess I shall be taking that story under my wing. It will be getting random updates though. Have a nice 2-4 days!**

**AJ: Your prediction is wrong (Spoiler Alert). Sam will not be getting her memory back because I won't write it….ever. You see, I have read a lot of tragedies and stories with morbid endings. I have also read a bunch of stories with extremely happy (that disgust me) endings. I try to write my endings in a more of a neutral way. Like **_**Brotherly Love**_**, yay we killed the monster and Amity Park is saved, but wait, the monster was Tucker and Danny just lost a best friend. **_**World Without Morals**_** was a (kind of) happy ending. The sequel won't start off happy though. Answers,**

**Well, all my subjects are advanced, but I am still great in, history (of course), Spanish, and Science. Not so much English or math though,**

**Mostly random music. If I were to pick a category, classical or patriotic (Amurica!)**

**By the way, I am still working on the Q/A thing on my profile. Is there any question/answer you think deserves a spot?**

**No questions today. I too lazy.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom****.**

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Two days after Danny found his horse, which he decided to name Longma for several reason, they were approaching a larger city near the border between Virginia and North Carolina. It hasn't been touched by the approaching Union army yet. They would get their turn eventually though.

As he entered the city, Danny did his usual. He bought more food, some for him some for his horse. He would then rent a spot at the local stable and let his horse rest there. Danny could have sworn he has bonded with his horse. He usually doesn't even have to do anything to the horse for her to go in the direction he needs.

After checking in to yet another motel, Danny decided to take a walk around the city before sunset with his trusty rifle. Even though he still doesn't trust the Manson's, he has to admit they have a beautiful taste in weaponry. He wouldn't be where he is oday with a normal Springfield or Enfield.

Danny walked past a couple stores and noticed they were severely lacking in supplies. If the Union army doesn't destroy the Confederacy, their blockade definitely will. A couple Confederate soldiers were either marching in formation around the city, or standing next to the street carriages use and talking to each other. Some kids would approach him every now and then and ask him for money. Now he was trying to conserve it for the mission, but he would still give some coins to the kids and watch them run off, most likely to their parents. When he turned a corner, he finally found a promising store called "Heavy Fire". As the name implies it was a gun shop. Danny walked in and was greeted by an older gentleman cleaning one of his weapons. He looked up from it and spotted the Henry rifle Danny was carrying.

"That's a great rifle you have there. Henry rifle, barely see one of those. If you are here to sell it, I don't have the money to buy it off of you."

Danny leaned the weapon against the wall as he walked closer to the man.

"No, I am here to buy some ammo for it. I need a .44 caliber cartridge. You have any of those?"

The man pulled a box from under the counter and set it on the table.

"I got a couple of those. Let's see. I have 20 working rounds. How much do you want."

Danny grabbed his some money from his sack.

"All of them."

The man gave Danny a look before grabbing the rounds.

"That will be 35 dollars."

Danny paid the man and checked how much ammo he had. Counting the ten bullets in his Henry rifle, he came to about 40 rounds. That was enough for most any engagement; including a full on battle; like he was going to get in one of those though. He took his rifle and walked out of the story and back to the motel. It was a little after sunset and he needed to get some sleep.

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**Yeah, I know this was short and I am sorry but this was before I instated my new schedule. Next one is longer. I should know since it is already done. Hope you all enjoyed! I am interested to see if any knew why I choose the name Longma for the horse, or even was Longma is. If you do, then please leave a review.  
**

**Reviews:**

**AJ: Congratulations, you are the first one to say you kinda sorta maybe have a crush on me! I will be doing a sequel for WWM. I have decided to do that a while ago. I hope you like AoC; I have read it three times. Answers.**

**1. I have one older brother and we are really competitive. Usually he wins...at everything. Sigh.**

**2. Well I wouldn't want to go to any first world nation. This will sound weird, but I would go to the Middle East, I just want to see if it is as bad as everyone says. I don't have much interest to go to the UK or France since well I just don't.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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Danny was riding on the back of his horse as it trotted along the dirt path to a new town in North Carolina. He passed a couple southern soldiers a few miles back but they didn't give him any trouble because they thought he was a fellow southerner. They did give him weird looks when they noticed the unique rifle he was carrying though.

_I really need to find some way to cover that up. It has gotten my cover blown one too many times._

The mercenary knew that the road he was traveling on was known for its thugs and highwaymen, but he didn't expect them to bother him. If you were going to attack someone on this road, it wouldn't be the guy with a repeating rifle; especially when he didn't have any valuables besides that.

Danny was starting to get bored with just sitting on his horse while it walked so he decided to think about his mission. he knew he was going to have a hard time finding the Manson girl. Not only could he barely tell anything due to the fact that her picture was in black and white, but he also only got to see it for a couple of seconds before her father took it.. He hoped he could just look for feminine looking men in her regiment, but if that failed he was screwed. The parents of the girl didn't sit right with Danny but he couldn't put his finger on it. Not only does he somehow remember them as a kid which doesn't make sense since he grew up in Ohio not Kentucky, but they also seemed like they were keeping a secret. They had a huge place and could easily hide an elephant or any secret they could possibly have in it.

Another Confederate patrol came walking in the opposite direction. Six to eight soldiers most armed with Enfield rifles and wearing ragged clothing briefly nodded to Danny as they passed him. He gave a tip of his black hat back. Most likely, those soldiers came from a fight or at least were a part of one. That or the Confederacy was seriously underfunded.

Danny kept riding for a couple more miles and spotted a few plantations. All of them had a good amount of black slave workers picking cotton and bringing them in to the main building.

The mercenary remembered his father telling him stories about the past. Before Danny was born, slavery was actually starting to die out. Less and less slaves were sold because the work the made became less profitable. Everyone knew that slavery was immoral, but they needed cheap labor. Then that Witney fellow came with the Cotton Gin. That made it easier for cotton, once picked, to be turned into thread. Soon after, all the plantations couldn't get enough slaves to pick as much cotton as they could.

_If it wasn't for that damnable Cotton Gin, we may never have had to fight this war. I may not have lost my best friend. I hope Tucker is in a better, more peaceful place now._

Danny trudged on and went to the nearest town. He bought some food for him and his horse and rested for about half an hour. He still had several hours before evening and decided to head even further. He would like to get to South Carolina as soon as he can. He had some respects to pay.

He got back on his horse and left the town. As his horse walked along the path near some trees. Danny spotted a couple of faces that looked eager to make a quick buck.

"I wouldn't do it if I were you." he shouted at the trees. "I am heavily armed and I don't got much in ways of cash. Only enough to take me to Georgia and back."

The faces retreated back into the trees and that was the last Danny saw of them.

After a couple more hours of riding and about one hour until sunset, Danny finally made it to his destination in North Carolina. He was now in the large town of Charlotte near the southern border. He had to cross one more state and then he can fully complete his mission or die trying. Once he took a task, he would see it through.

Danny dropped his horse off at a local stable and rented out some room. He could his horse was tired. After all, he rode it almost all day.

_I will make it up to you girl. Somehow I will._

Danny walked into a nearby motel and rented out a building for the night.

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**Pretty uneventful, but at least Danny is almost in South Caroline. So I have been preparing to write the next chapter for a while. It will be very fun to write! I did give a pretty big hint (at least to me) on what it will be about. If you know what it is then leave it in a review.  
**

**Everyone who reviewed got Longma right. It is known as the "dragon horse" a Taoist mythological creature. I got it because I have been thinking of how much the Ying Yang symbol reminds me of Danny's ghost form and, in turn, his horse.**

**Reviews:**

**AJ: I am really disorganized right now. I really should take the time to actually get organized, but I am too lazy. Right now I am trying to think of something I can do for the fourth of July. Maybe a new chapter for Shield Law?  
**

**Questions**

**1. Which of my two stories you are write do you like the most?**

**That's all I got for today.**

**I would like as many people as I can to answer this question in a review or message. What is your favorite fanfiction story, or what is your favorite fanfiction author. You don't have to say my name or any of my stories, actually, I would prefer it if you didn't. This is purely just information gathering from me.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom**

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A week had passed by since Danny stayed at Charlotte, and he had already crossed the border into South Carolina. He was now heading just south of Charleston to a fort where Danny experienced some ferocious fighting during his time in the Union. That was also the spot Danny lost his best friend Tucker Foley. To Danny's knowledge, the fort wasn't given a name, so Danny just called it the Secessionville fort after the battle that took place there.

When Danny entered Charleston he got some food to feed his horse and quickly found a place to stay. It was almost night after all and Danny wanted to get up early in the morning. The mercenary woke up to find it pouring outside. He still had a job to do so he went outside to find a few stalls open. One such stall had a dozen roses all bundled up. Danny paid for the roses and went to the stables to get his horse.

Longma was huddled at the very back corner of the stables while rain dripped from cracks in the stable's roofing. _I guess he doesn't like the rain. Too bad I need him so I can get to the fort in time._

After a little bit of riding on his horse, Danny finally made it to the Secessionville fort. The two guards stationed right outside of the gate picked their rifles off the ground and walked up to Danny. "Halt, what business do you have being here?"

Danny took of his hat letting his dry hair get pelted by rain.

"I want to talk to your commander. I would like to ask a favor of him."

One of the guards walked into the fort to relay the request to someone else who ran into the fort's main building. A little bit later the man returned.

"The commander said he will hear your proposal. Don't try anything though. We will need to take your weapons"

Danny got off his horse and let one of the guards grab her with his rifle and ammunition. Of course Danny still carried his two knives and the pistol, but those wouldn't be of much use if things turned bad.

"Yes, because I can somehow take down an entire fort full of soldiers."

_I already tried that and it failed miserably._

Danny was led into the building and was greeted by an old man drinking some wine while looking out a window at the fort.

"Why hello there stranger! One of my soldiers told me you had a request?"

Danny looked behind him to notice the two guards in the room were on edge. One slip up from Danny and he would be dead.

"Well sir, you must know of the battle that took place here a couple years prior, right? The battle of Secessionville.

The commander took another sip of his drink and nodded his head. "Yes, I was one of the men defending the fort a couple years prior."

Danny shifted the wait from his right leg to his left as he thought of a way to say his next words without getting shot. "I was one of the Union soldiers attacking the fort."

Both guards pointed their rifles at Danny and were waiting for their permission to fire. The life of Danny was in the palm of the commander's hand. The commander got up from his seat and eyed Danny suspiciously. "Why are you telling me this? What is your reason for coming here?"

Danny stiffened. He apparently did word that correctly.

"I am here to ask permission to go to the outskirts of the fort so I can make a small memorial for my fallen comrades. I am no longer in the Union army so I pose no threat."

The commander turned so he was facing the window opposite of Danny. He watched over the fort for a couple seconds as he thought over the request.

"I was an officer during that battle. I still remember every second of that. I will grant you access because of my code of honor. I will like if three of my soldiers escort you though. No offense, but I don't exactly trust you."

The commander gestured to one of his guards to get the requested men. "Will you need anything to complete this memorial?"

Danny gave it a few moments of thought. "No, I should have everything I need. Just give me back my horse and I can collect my rifle later if you want."

The commander nodded his head and ordered the other guard to escort Danny out of the house. The heavy pounding of rain onto Danny's hat causing it to droop a little. The guard halted at the gate and turned to Danny. "Wait here while while the three men prepare. Your horse should be with them."

A couple minutes later, three Confederate soldiers appeared each on horseback. One of them also had Longma in tow. Longma looked scared out of her mind as she was relentlessly drenched in rain.

"Here is your horse. We are just going to ride to the outskirts of the fort and no further. The commander gave us permission to shoot you if you try something."

Danny just smirked.

"Wow, all this suspicion and I don't even have a rifle. I must be very deadly."

All the soldiers present glared at Danny.

"Shut it. Let's just get going."

Danny got on his horse and followed one of the soldiers to the wet field while Danny was flanked by the other two soldiers.

The field was completely empty except for a lone gravestone. The dead Union soldiers were most likely buried a long time ago. To the victor go the spoils and the dead. Danny walked his horse up to the stone while the soldiers watched. On the stone read 'Here lies the fallen at the battle of Secessionville'. Danny couldn't help but feel contempt for the stone. _Thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers died for what, a small little stone that barely says anything?_

Danny still remembered that day in his nightmares.

He and his regiment had been preparing for an upcoming assault on the newly built Secessionville fort. They had their orders from the higher ups to march through the night and attack the fort as part of the first wave in the morning. They would eventually be supported by more waves of men and hopefully take the fort and then Charleston. It would be a huge blow to the South and help boost Union morale,

Danny had a horrible feeling in his stomach; like it knew this mission was doomed. He tried to tell his best friend and another private in his regiment Tucker, but the young black man didn't listen. He just wanted to end the war as quick as possible. Then again, that's what everyone was talking about. Tucker was supposed to be thrown in one of the forming black regiments to work in the fields, Basically they were to be paid workers for the Union, but the Fenton's had a long military tradition with a lot of connections and were able to pull some strings for Tucker to be placed with Danny in an all white regiment.

Danny striked his tent, prepared some dinner, cleaned his weapon, checked his ammunition supply, twice, checked his black powder supply, and made sure everything was in working order, until he was ordered to march onto the fort. He quickly found Tucker and got into formation right next to him. Standing in their way was two rows of hedges, a couple cornfields, and pitch black darkness, not to mention the hundreds of Confederate soldiers manning the fort. Danny decided to start a conversation as he was walking. It wasn't like he had anything else to do.

"Tuck, are you prepared for hell?"

Tucker tried to look at his buddy through the darkness. "Come on man. A couple minutes of fighting and they will surrender the fort. They have what, a few hundred soldiers max?"

Danny could only shake his hand and grip the trigger guard of his Springfield rifle a little tighter. "They probably have several thousand. Why do you think the commander wanted to wait for more troops to arrive before engaging?"

Tucker thought about it for a moment. "Because he doesn't want to fight and is too scared to act. We just need to attack them in mass and the Rebs would route in fright!"

Danny knew Tucker was just being naive, but that could get him killed on the battlefield. Danny fought in a couple battles before Tucker was finally allowed to join his regiment. Tucker just went through basic training with little experience on the actual field.

The regiment came across a hedgerow and several soldiers tried to carve a path through it, some more successful than others. Danny was one of the first men through and decided to wait for Tucker. After a couple minutes of struggling to cross the hedgerow, the regiment decided to leave any stragglers and continued their march. That's where they ran into problem number two. Between them and the fort was a huge cornfield with corn bigger than the soldiers. Danny did his best to keep straight and not hurt the corn, but Tucker was whacking away at any cornstalk that got into his way. They were able to make it out with most of their group intact. A few soldiers were still navigating the field though. The remaining soldiers ran into yet another hedgerow and had to repeat the process yet again. Danny cut through the hedgerow and waited for Tucker to catch up. Once Tucker showed, Danny noticed several scratch marks on Tucker's face and wrists.

"You okay, Tucker"? He asked as he tried to think of who in the regiment carried the first aid supplies.

Tucker put a hand on his face to trace the scratches. "Yeah I will be fine. Definitely ready to fight." Tucker marched on ahead of Danny. Danny sighed as he thought, _That man's going to get himself killed, _and continued his march_. _That's when he got a good look at his surroundings and noticed that only half his regiment was left. He quickly rejoined Tucker but put his hand on his shoulder to force Tucker to stop. "Tucker, maybe we should get our officer to wait. We only have half our men and it is certain that the rest of the first wave was also detoured."

Tucker barely listened to Danny as he looked at the fort in the distance. "Come on Danny. That force will be easy to take. Look we have a straight shot to it."

He looked at the path ahead. It was just clear grassland. There was a forward outpost between them and the fort, but that would be easy to take.

"Tucker, let's just play it safe."

The black man turned to Danny. "No, we can take that fort now and that is what we are going to do!" with that, Tucker stormed off in the direction of the fort. Danny reached out to Tucker, but he was to late. A couple minutes into their march, Danny's regiment was ordered to form up. They wanted to create a battle line for when they stirred the fort. Danny's regiment and several other regiments that made up the right flank of the Union assault, decided to rush the fort to try and surprise them. Danny was one of the first soldiers to reach it to the advanced pickets of the fort with his regiment. That's when it all went downhill. The fort, with 5 artillery cannons, opened up into the advancing Union lines, except, they weren't firing a normal solid shell, but shrapnel shot. Nails, glass, iron chains, and pellets, flew out of the black cannons and contacted with several soldiers who fell to the ground crying in agony. Tucker watched the scene as he got even closer to the fort. He was debating turning tail and running away, he didn't want to be one of those soldiers, but Danny glared at him as if anticipating his actions. "You are not running away. You signed up for this."

Tucker gulped before nodding his head. The regiment stopped as they got a couple hundred yards closer. Danny knew what was to come next. The officer shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ready arms!"

Danny, with the rest of the back line, hovered his rifle just above the shoulder of Tucker who was right in front of him.

"Fire!"

Several bangs could be heard around Danny as he pressed the trigger of his rifle, firing his one shot. Smoke began to envelope the regiment, making it hard to see what was going on. Next thing they know, several nails and pellets collide with Blue uniforms, sending those soldiers to the dirt.

"Fire at will!"

Danny grabbed a cartridge from his box, ripped it open, and shoved it down his rifle. He noticed Tucker was doing the same in front of him. Danny grabbed his ramrod and was about to jam it down his rifle, when he noticed the wall of rifles coming out of the fort. All Danny could do was brace himself. Several bangs could be heard from the wall as soldiers all around Danny dropped like flies. The officer also saw this and shouted retreat at the top of his lungs. The entire regiments started running away as Danny aimed his rifle and fired it before doing the same. They must have ran several hundred yards before they finally regrouped next to the second row of hedgerows. There, they got a good view of the second wave of soldiers running up to the fort and also getting mowed down. The officer came up to the remaining members of the regiment. "We have to make another attempt at that fort. It has to fall by the end of the day!"

Several booms came from the cannons of the fort as more shrapnel teared into the second wave of soldiers.

Tucker started to back away and threw down his rifle. "No way am I going back there! I will almost surely die!"

The officer grabbed his pistol from its holster and pointed it at Tucker. "You can either take your chances out there, or die where you stand."

Tucker reluctantly reached down to grab his gun before joining Danny back in line. Once again, the regiment, with others, marched onto the fort. Bullets and shrapnel whizzed by Danny's head connecting with soldiers all around him. The smoke was getting so bad that several soldiers were having coughing fits. As the line stopped, Danny had to step over two bodies.

"Ready arms!" the officer shouted.

Danny put his rifle just above Tucker shoulder.

"Fire!"

With that, another wave of bangs could be heard as the smoke clouded Danny's vision. He began to reload when fate happened. Bangs could came from the fort and the officer fell to the ground dead. A second later Tucker was struck in both the left leg and right arm and collapsed onto the ground. Danny quickly knelt down right next to him, trying to grab some medicine from his sack. Tucker just lightly grabbed Danny's hand as tears came to both of their eyes. "Danny, I am told old to die man!"

Danny got up and tried to lift Tucker off the ground. If he could get him to the field hospital, then maybe he could save him. Danny started running to the hospital with Tucker on his back, but the boy was already losing too much blood.

"Danny, you remember Valerie, the girl at our hometown? Can you please tell her I love her?"

Danny ran even faster. "No, because you will. Right buddy?"

Danny waited for an answer he would never get. He eventually collapsed to the ground from exhaustion and fell unconscious. He awoke several minutes later with Tucker already dead and several thousand Union soldiers running for their lives. Danny grabbed his rifle and slowly got off the ground. Bodies and blood were everywhere. It looked like the devil had been through here, and, in a way, he had. Danny followed the retreating soldiers and walked off the field in shame.

It was soon learned that the Union middle and left flank were slowed down by hedges and swamp, and weren't able to attack with the right flank. It was a disaster waiting to happen. That's how Danny remembered it at least.

Danny knelt at the monument and placed the flowers he bought. He then got off the ground to watch the rain hit the now perfectly green grass. "I will join you guys someday." he walked up to his horse and got on it before following the Confederate soldiers back to their fort.

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**There we have it. The chapter I have been planning to write since the beginning of this story is finally finished. I am wondering, are any of you annoyed that Sam hasn't shown up in the story yet? It has been 10 chapters and I probably should've sped the traveling up. Please review!  
**

**Reviews:**

**Inviso-Al: Yeah, I can be pretty indecisive when I run into a problem. It has been a long wait, longer than I thought, but the update has finally come.**

**Guest: That is about all my knowledge of Longma. There is also something about them and great rulers, but I am not sure exactly how that goes.**

**AJ:  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is owned by Butch Hartman and you know the rest.**

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After Danny paid his respects to his fallen comrades, the commander of the fort invited Danny to dinner. Something about a warrior's honor couldn't let Danny walk away without a proper conversation. Danny reluctantly agreed even though he had to get to Georgia as soon as possible. Who was he to turn down the commander's generous offer?

It started off pretty well. Danny passed two badly dressed soldiers guarding the entrance to the dining room. He tilted his hat and walked through the doors. The commander sat in his chair sipping a glass of wine. Their was a chair directly opposite him which Danny guessed was for him. The commander stood up from his seat to walk over to Danny and shake his hand. "Ah, you made it. Please, have a seat. The chef is cooking a chicken just for us."

Danny gave the man his friendliest smile and sat in his seat. He could already tell that this man liked to act fancy. Whether he was or wasn't didn't matter. The commander unfolded the napkin next to his plate and set it on his lap. The two men stayed silent for a couple minutes as they waited for their food. The commander finally grew impatient with the chef and decided to start the conversation. "I don't remember ever catching your name. What was it again?"

Danny looked up from his plate which he has been staring at for quite some time. "Its Danny, sir"

The commander didn't take his eyes off Danny as he thought about something. "Danny. We don't get too many Danny's. Could be because it is so informal of a name."

The mercenary fiddled with his silverware. He didn't feel comfortable with being the topic of conversation. "I didn't think Daniel fit me, and I never 've liked the name Dan. It just carries this sense of dread."

The commander nodded his head as he watched one of his African American slaves enter the room. The slave respectfully bowed before turning to the commander. "The chef has had a small problem with cooking the food. It should take a little longer than expected."

Danny watched as the commander's face turned angry. He stood up from his seat and turned to Danny. "Excuse me for one moment. I have to get something straightened out."

The commander didn't wait for an answer before he stomped out of the room and followed the slave back to the kitchen. Danny sat at the table all alone. Now that the commander was gone, he could see more of the room. Right behind where the commander usually sits is another set of doors. Most likely there are two soldiers stationed out there too. Candles lined the outer area of the room. They let just enough light out to see the very fancy pattern on the wall. A red square outlined in gold with four green diamonds on each corner. On the ceiling sat a very crude candle chandelier. It definitely wasn't great looking, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he had one in the first place. The man was trying to show off his power to Danny. He didn't want to look weak in front of him. Did he do this to all his visitors or just Danny though?

Yelling of obscenities came from the door the commander just left. It was definitely in his voice too. Several sets of footsteps could be heard as they march right up to that noise and stopped. More yelling and a man started to scream for mercy as the footsteps got quieter and quieter until they could no longer be heard. The commander walked back I to the room with a big smile plastered on his face. "Sorry about that. The food shall be ready shortly."

Bang! A gunshot was fired a ways away, but Danny still heard it. He immediately jumped out of his seat and was about to run towards the noise when the commander calmly said, "Don't worry about that, it was probably nothing. Just a deserter most likely."

Danny could have sworn the smile on the commander's face grew. It was starting to creep him out.

The rest of the meal went relatively peacefully in silence. The chicken tasted great and Danny would have given his compliments to the cook, but he had a feeling the cook was no longer alive. "So," the commander said as he cut off another piece of the chicken. "You told me you were a Union soldier, but you haven't told me why you are so far down South. In a nation you used to fight against none the less. You couldn't have come just to pay your respects, right?" the commander stared at Danny, waiting for him to answer. He wasn't even bothering with his food anymore.

Danny was getting even more uncomfortable. Something didn't sit right with him. Whether it was the way this man stared at him, or the way he treated him. Danny knew something was up. "I also wanted to see the South. Find out what the war has done to its infrastructure." the commander nodded his head and they went back to eating their food in silence.

After the dinner, Danny grabbed his supplies, got on his horse, and traveled outside of the fort back to Charleston to sleep for the night. The commander watched him leave from his position overlooking the fort.

He knew something was up with Danny's story. The mercenary wasn't there to check on the South's infrastructure and he didn't seem like he was ending his journey. He had too much ammunition and money to head back up north. That meant that he was most likely heading further south to Georgia.

"Jason," the commander called to one of his guards. "Tell Johnson that a very important person is heading into Georgia. If I were to guess, he will try to enter Atlanta."

The guard bowed before running off to relay the message.

The commander continued to watch Danny until he could no longer be seen in the distance. The commander walked over to the table next to his favorite chair. He grabbed a cigar laying on the table, lit it, and put it in his mouth. One puff and he watched the smoke that came out. No matter what, smoke always looked the same. Whether it came from a rifle, a cigar, or a burning building. It was one of the constants in life. The guard walked back into the room and bowed. "Sir, the higher ups told us not to worry about the mercenary. He is on business with the Manson's."

A smirk came to the commander's face as he took out the cigar. "No bother then. He is a dead man walking. It's only a matter of time."

* * *

**There you have it. The plot thickens. Was that worth waiting one chapter for Sam? Don't worry, she will appear soon. Please review!**

**Reviews:**

**Inviso-Al: I hope that was worth the wait of four days. That really wasn't that long of a wait actually. I still hope you liked it.  
**

**AJ: Remember when I told you I was forgetful? Well not getting a response had to do with my forgetfulness. I was planning on responding, but something got in my way and I forgot to actually say something before I uploaded the chapter. Whoops. I also realize that I was technically supposed to update Make a Wish today, but that chapter really doesn't want to write itself. I guess it has to do with I actually didn't know what I wanted to come from it and had to decide what was going to happen. It will come eventually though!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom**

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Danny got off the train and looked at Atlanta in the horizon. His goal was so close yet so far. After returning to Charleston, he found out that there was a train that went straight to the outskirts of Atlanta. He made some telegraph calls to the Manson's, and sure enough he had a ticket for that very train. The seats were hard as a rock though, and the other passengers were very annoying, but it wasn't so bad.

Danny waited next to the train for one of the attendants to bring Longma from the back of the train to him. As Danny waited he looked around the countryside. He could easily see some smoke coming from Atlanta. That means some buildings were probably burnt down. Not to unnatural considering it went from a Southern to Northern occupation. There was going to be some looting and fights. He could also smell the smoke in the air with, what he would call, the despair of the townspeople. Danny used to smell that all the time when he marched into Southern territory with his fellow soldiers. It was especially evident when Danny captured an inn, or a small town.

An attendant finally walked up with Longma in tow. Besides being a little freaked out, most likely because it was kept in a small space, the horse was perfectly fine.

Danny made sure the saddle was firmly on the horse and got on. It would be a short ride to Atlanta, but Danny wanted to conserve his energy. He had a feeling that he was going to have to use his rifle a lot more than he wanted. Man, he missed doing his usual jobs. They required so much less work. Though it would nice to have the Manson's, one of the most powerful families in North America, owe him one.

Danny arrived at the capital of Georgia in no time. As he approached the gate, two soldiers walked up to him and checked his supplies. "So, why you heading into Atlanta?" one of them asked as he went through Danny's bag. The other guard was looking over Danny's rifle and ammunition.

"I am on business. Can you point me towards where the 12th Kentucky Volunteer infantry is stationed? I would like to speak to their officer."

The man stopped looking through Danny's bag and gave him a weird look. That's when Danny noticed that this man has almost glowing purple eyes. Highly unusual. "You're looking at a soldier from it. I can show you where our officer is Mr?"

Danny reached out to grab his sack and took his gun from the other soldier. "Fenton. Thank you."

The soldier turned to face his comrade. "Johnson, get another person for guard duty. I'm going to escort this civilian to our officer."

The other soldier gave a brief nod before he walked into a nearby building. The purple eyed soldier then walked through the gate not even waiting for Danny to follow."So where you from?" the soldier asked as he navigated past a forming crowd.

"I was born and raised in Ohio."

The soldiers stopped for a second before he continued walking. "Wow, you are a little ways away."

Danny watched as several civilians seemed to avoid the soldier. They would edge away and not even glance at him. Was this soldier special or was it like this for all soldiers? "What's you name soldier?"

"Samuel" the soldier said as he seemed to speed up his pace.

Danny could see the officer's tent closing in. He didn't want to end his conversation with Samuel though, because he knew the soldier was hiding something. "Where are you from?" Danny asked.

Samuel turned around and all but glared at Danny. "I like to keep my life private."

Danny gave his best innocent expression and tried to stop the forming smirk. "You asked where I lived. I thought it fair that I'd be able to do the same."

"New York" Samuel said without a moment's hesitation.

This time Danny didn't try to suppress his smirk. "So you lived in New York, yet you joined the 17th Kentucky. Please, tell me all the details."

A low grow emitted from Samuel. "Shut up and get in the tent."

Danny noticed that they were both standing next to the giant white tent that must've belonged to the officer in charge. He entered the tent with Samuel following closely behind and was greeted by an older gentleman drinking some coffee. "Sam, who is this man?" the man asked before he took a sip of his drink

"He is a civilian who wants to speak to you."

There seemed to be a small spark in the officer's eyes as he heard this. Samuel was about exit the tent, when the officer said, "Sam, please stay."

Danny was beginning to get suspicious of the soldier. Wasn't the Manson's daughter named Samantha? Also, why did he lie about where he lived? It would be so much easier if he had a color photograph of the Manson's daughter. Then he could easily identify the girl.

The officer sat back in his in his chair and folded his hands. "I am almost positive I already know why you are here, but just to be sure, why are you here?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "How could you already know why?"

The man began staring at the top of the tent as if he was in a daze. "There have been reports of someone moving slowly down south leaving death and wreckage behind. It took some digging, but I found out what he was doing, Mr. Fenton. The officer smirked when he saw Danny take a step back with his eyes the size of cannonballs. Danny did his best to hide his shock and took two steps forward. "Then you must know why I am here. Where is the Manson's daughter?" he said more determined than ever.

The commander gestured Danny to turn around. "Officially she is known as Samuel, but the regiment knows she is a girl and doesn't mind. She is just one more soldier to us. Isn't that right, Sam?"

Danny already knew who he was talking about, but it didn't stop his eyes from popping out of his head when he turned around to see Sam's mouth agape. _This isn't going to end well._

**There we go. Another chapter is completed. I also kept my promise. Look! Sam is in this chapter! I meant to upload this chapter yesterday, but my internet decided to quit on me. I also had some problems with Microsoft Word when I first tried today. Please make my annoyance worthwhile and review!**

**Reviews:**

**Inviso-Al: Sam's here so your waiting is over!**

**AJ: Maybe I am going to be really thorough throughout the story so it really wasn't that long of a wait since this story will actually be pretty long? Yeah, probably not and lesson learned.**

**1. Nope, I have never played Clash of Clans.**

**2. If I have one I never use it. I have an Xbox Live account and a Steam account under the name Sonochu  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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After Danny's realization, the officer of the 12th Kentucky, whose name was Colonel William Hoskins, gave him one of the regiment's extra tents to sleep in. Hoskins said that if Danny was going to be around Sam, he mine as well just sleep with the soldiers.

Danny still didn't know how he was going to get Sam to leave. He couldn't just take her and run. Not only would she be against it, but they would be wanted by the military for her deserting. Danny doubted the Manson's had enough pull to prevent that. He couldn't just wait out San's term though. She had another ten months on her contract and could get killed in battle. So what were his other options?

Danny found an empty area near some already set up tents and started laying down his material. He could feel several stares on him as he started setting up the poles. Hoskins warned him that the soldiers in the 12th Kentucky won't be too keen on Danny staying with them. They enjoyed Sam's company and didn't want it to be taken away from them. Danny understood why they felt that way. Being away from home and always marching, you start to crave the companionship of a woman. In the city it's not so bad, but once they leave Atlanta and start marching. That meant that he had to act quickly if he didn't want any trouble.

Danny finished setting up the tent and started looking around his area. His tent was one of the furthest away from the command tent. He had a good view of Atlanta with only a few trees obstructing his view. This meant that if anything happened, he would know. The one thing that worried him was the dense patch of trees to the left of all the tents. It would be easy to have some confederates sneak up on the sleeping soldiers and surprise them. That would make it hard for him to protect Sam. Heck, that would make it hard for him to protect himself.

With nothing better to do, Danny decided to take a walk around Atlanta. He has never been this far south and wanted to at least get a lay of the land. The mercenary grabbed his rifle and walked up to the guards at one of the entrances to the city. They let him in with no trouble. From there, he chose to start walking down on of Atlanta's main streets. Maybe he should visit Longma. The horse was probably getting lonely. He could probably put the horse in a stable with the military's horses. Hoskins wouldn't mind.

Danny watched as a group of soldiers passed by some civilians. The civilians seemed to avoid looking at the soldiers and kept their distance. _So they weren't just scared of Sam, these civilians were scared of the entire Union Army._

Danny passed by the hollowed out remains of a store. He looked inside to see the burned remains of books and paper all over the place. On top of them laid some black wooden pools. All of this and more were most likely burned when the city switched occupation. Part of the soldiers' celebration and parades. Who was the commander of this army? William something? Whoever he was, he should've taken better control over his men. It is never good to incite fear in the populous. That will just create more rebels to fight later.

Another patrol of soldiers went by and Danny could smell the alcohol on their breaths from across the street. They were pushing each other while laughing at some joke that Danny would never get. Two of the soldiers noticed a girl in the group of civilians from before. Both men pointed at her while turning back to their comrades. The soldiers, six in total, began walking over to the girl and lead her into an abandoned building. Probably under the threat of death. The rest of the civilians didn't seem to care. They just didn't want to get in trouble with any of the soldiers. Danny knew what was going to happen next. They were going to try to rape her. He couldn't let that happen.

Danny began walking over to the door with his gun in hand. He hoped he could just threaten the men, but if things got violent he wanted to be ready. At least he would've if a certain purple eyed girl soldier didn't enter the building before he did. Where did she even come from anyways? Was she watching them the entire time? It didn't matter because she could've just put herself in danger.

Bang! a shot rang out through the air and it originated from that very building.

Danny took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he might see, before he barged into the building with his rifle raised. What he saw surprised him to know end.

Sam was standing in the middle of the room. Her gun pointed at the six soldiers who were cowering in the corner of the room. The civilian girl grabbed her coat and quickly ran out of the room.

"What happened here?" Danny asked as he approached Sam from behind.

"You should know. I saw you watching then like I was. Anyways, I am going to report them to their commanding officer. Please be a gentleman and escort them back to their tents. Not like they could do any real damage to anyone though. They were pretty weak." Even though Danny was looking at the back of Sam's head, he could see the smirk on her face.

"How exactly did you subdue them?" he asked.

Sam pointed at the rifle she was holding in her right hand. "Easy, I snuck in unnoticed and fire my rifle behind their backs. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of 'em peed their pants. Now I got business to do."

Sam walked out of the building, leaving Danny with six quivering soldiers and a very foul stench in the air. _Did someone really pee their pants?_

* * *

**There we have it. Sam won't be just some damsel in distress. I would like to thank Innocent Thief for the help with this chapter.**

**Reviews:**

**Guest: Tada! I updated!**

**Inviso-Al: I don't know. Was this an interesting chapter?  
**

**Phantommercenary: I'm glad to know you like this story. Now to do things with Sam!  
**

**AJ: This chapter wasn't even supposed to have Sam in it, but I knew I would be burned at a stake if I didn't. Video Games are the bestest thing in the Universe! They're like chocolate lasagna, but better! I like most cheese except for American. I don't put it on much. I like grapes. They yummy. I love weird people! I always come out with a new outlook on something after talking to them! I like having my mind blown like that. Bacon is the bane of my existence. I hate it with a burning passion! I don't really have an opinion on toe rings and anklets. I don't really see the point in them. Talk to you sooner!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom**

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Danny was in a good mood. In fact, had been a while since he was in such a good mood. He jumped out of his temporary bed and started folding it up, he would be leaving soon and wanted to be ready. After that, he took a deep breath of fresh air and watched as everyone else started waking up. Some were grumbling about another humid day in Atlanta, others were talking about how they were missing their home. Danny didn't notice though. He was too busy looking at the beautiful clouds in the sky and smelling the aroma that came from the chefs preparing the breakfast.

Danny had no idea why he was in such a good mood. Maybe it had to do with his wonderful care free sleep last night. Of course he had to worry about getting ambushed in his sleep, riots forming in Atlanta, or being stabbed in the back, but it was just so much more peaceful sleeping with a bunch of your companions than all alone.

The sleep also gave Danny an idea too. He knew that he couldn't just take Sam and run. That would make her a deserter and it wouldn't end well. Maybe he could convince the corporal to let Sam off early though. That way Sam could legally return home with little to no trouble. They just had to deal with all the Confederates. Ok, maybe not so easy, but it would make his whole job a lot safer.

Danny walked into the mess hall and grabbed a plate. It was time to find out what that delicious aroma was coming from. He would've brought his rifle with him, but soldiers weren't allowed to carry their rifles while in camp. Even though Danny wasn't a soldier, he still wanted to show his respect. The rifle was safely hidden inside Danny's tent.

As Danny inched closer from his position in line to one of the chefs, he could hear one of the soldiers talking."Aww, vegetable soup again? We just had this yesterday and it doesn't even count as breakfast!"

"Pipe down!" the chef said as he dropped a bowl of soup on the man's tray. "Just be glad we found enough bacon to feed everyone. It will take a little longer, but the bacon should be ready soon. In the meantime take your soup, and your roll," the chef tossed a piece of bread on the man's plate, "and shut up!"

The soldier, startled by the chef's attitude, quickly grabbed his plate and ran off with his tail between his legs.

"Next!" the chef shouted and another soldier walked up. Danny went back to minding his own when the soldier behind him spoke up. "Hey, you're the mercenary that has been making waves around our camp."

Danny couldn't help but start banging his head on the counter as he answered, "Wow, that must have been hard to find out since I am so wearing a uniform."

The soldier raised his fist in the air. Danny's only reaction was to slightly widen his stance. He knew he could take this soldier in a fight if it came to that. "Shut it, smartass! You're lucky that my commanding officer doesn't want me in any more fights with other soldiers, else you would be out cold!" the soldier looked Danny up and down. "You're a waste of my time anyways."

The mercenary could see the cocky smirk on this soldiers face. How he would love to wipe that off. Too bad he couldn't get in a fight without upsetting Hoskins. Counting on the fact that Danny needed a favor of Hoskins, it wouldn't be a bright move to upset him. Still, it didn't mean he couldn't have any fun.

"Next!" the chef shouted causing everyone to take a couple steps forward.

Danny turned away from the soldier to face the food on the counter. "The only reason fighting me would be a waste of your time is because you would be down on the ground for most of it."

"Why you!" the soldier yelled as he pulled his fist back. Danny could already tell that this man was a sloppy fighter and was ready to jump back from the punch. Suddenly the man calmed down and lowered his fist while smirking. "Whatever you say asshole. I just thought I should warn you that no one in the 12th Kentucky likes you. Actually, they have been talking about some pretty vile stuff. Of course you should know why they don't like you. You are trying to take something precious from them after all."

"Next!" the chef yelled trying to get Danny's attention. "You in the black hat. Come get your food."

Danny sent a glad towards the soldier before walking over to the chef. As the cook gave him a bowl of soup, Danny whispered, "Hey, do you know where I can find Colonel Hoskins?"

"He usually eats in his tent away from everyone else."

The mercenary frowned. He was hoping that Hoskins would be better than that. "So you're saying that he is treated like a king in his regiment?"

The chef shook his head as he grabbed a tray full of bacon from the back of his kitchen. "No, nothing like that. He just made a couple of enemies and doesn't want to be near them. Besides that, he is like any other soldier."

Danny nodded his head in understand and was about to walk away, when the chef put a hand on his shoulder. "I was listening to your little conversation with that man and he has a point. There has been a lot of talk about you and some of it wasn't good. I know you were once in the army. You can't tell me that you didn't want a girl's company during your service." the chef glanced over at the table where Sam was currently surrounded by men. "Well, these men have it and they won't give her up without a fight."

Danny saw where the chef was looking. This situation was just getting more and more difficult for him. "Noted, but you might want to get back to serving the soldiers. Thanks for the help." As Danny walked away he took a whiff of his food. For some reason the lovely aroma he smelled earlier was no longer there.

* * *

Danny stood next to the giant white tent that was Colonel Hoskins living area. He spent half an hour preparing what to say to the colonel. This was too important of a task to mess up. It could make or break his entire mission. After all, this man had the power to get Sam out of the army whether she wanted to or not.

Danny took a deep breath as he prepared for what awaited him on the other side. _Come on Fenton you can do this! Anyways, if something goes wrong there is always another way to get this done...hopefully._ Danny sighed and looked at the ground. It was official; he needed to work on his pep talks. After a brief moment of courage or stupidity, he finally entered the tent and saw Colonel Hoskins sipping on some coffee. The colonel smiled when he noticed the mercenary and said, "Ah, Mr. Fenton. I was wandering when you were going to come. Please, take a seat."

Danny took off his hat and sat down on a seat near the colonel. "You know I was going to show up?" Danny asked.

Colonel Hoskins calmly took another sip of his drink before responding. "Daniel, I am a strategist both on and off the battlefield. You need Ms. Manson to return to Kentucky for you to get your money, while I need her to stay in Georgia with me. In other words, we're at an impasse.

Strategy was never something Danny was good at. That didn't mean he would run straight into a firefight, but he couldn't command entire units into battle. Especially considering that he was never good at thinking ahead. Danny leaned forward in his seat and stared at the Colonel in the eyes. "Then you must know my connections already, right?" Danny waited for a nod from the colonel and continued. "Can you make it easier for the both of us and just sign the papers to let Sam go then?"

The colonel grabbed some papers from his desk and handed them to Danny before saying, "Ms. Manson still has a little less than three months left in her contract. If I let her go everyone will think I've gone soft. Soldiers might demand the same treatment, and fellow officers might not respect me in battle. No, I'm sorry but I can't do that." the commander looked up at the ceiling before returning his attention to Danny with a small grin on his face. "I'm up for a trade though?"

Danny raised an eyebrow as he read over one of the papers. It was just about the servicemen in the 12th Kentucky. "Trade? What do I have that is worth as much as the rest of her term?"

The colonel's grin broadened before he god up and started walking around the tent. "I guess trade isn't the right word. Anyways, I want you to lighten her load."

Danny looked at the smiling man like he was crazy. "I'm not following Colonel."

The man stopped smiling and sat back down in his chair watching as Danny read through the papers. "It's simple really. The 12th Kentucky is going to be participating in a major campaign soon and we need everyone we can get. It should take around 40-45 days and Sam has 85 days in her contract. I want you to take half of her days so you both get around 40 days each. I get a veteran soldier for the campaign and you both get to go home faster."

Danny fell out of his seat in shock. He was not expecting anything like this. After everything he has seen and done, this man wants him to return to the hellhole that is the military?! Danny would've screamed at the man if something in the back of his mind didn't stop him. This would get the mission done faster and he couldn't back down from the mission. He would probably follow her until her term was up anyways.

Danny looked down at the ground hiding his eyes with his hair.

"So, do we have a deal?" the colonel asked sticking out his hand.

"Deal." Danny shook his hand and the colonel started to lean back in his chair. "Now that that's settled, you get to present the paperwork to Mrs. Manson to sign. I'm sure she will just love the idea."

Danny jumped out of his seat. "What?! That wasn't part of the deal!"

The colonel smirked and took another sip of coffee. "Like I am going to tell her bad news. You must've seen how ferocious she can be at times. You already have the paperwork." the man said pointed at the stack of papers in Danny's hand. "Good luck!"

Danny got out of his seat and walked out of the tent. Who knew talking to the Colonel would be the easy part?

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**Sorry everyone. I know this is late, but I had some things come up and then half my chapter was deleted. Yeah, I don't have the best of luck. Anyways, tell me what you think and please review!  
**

**Revuews:**

**Guest: Update? Yes. Soon? Not at all. Sorry about that.  
**

**AJ: I'm not much of a veggie eater. I like ham, turkey, chicken, cheeseburgers, steak (at times), and a lot of other meat products. Bacon can burn in that one place down below for all I care though. Answering time!  
**

**1. I'm a little bit of everything. Let's see, I'm Irish, German, Scottish, Italian, Hungarian, English, American (obviously), and a lot more that I don't even remember.**

**2. Heh, I spend most of my time indoors so I don't have much of a clue. It's been warm but it does seem to be getting colder.**

**3. I'm not in school yet, but I will be back within a week. My school is all messed up though so I barely know what I am doing.**

**4. I never heard about that. I know the t.v. can affect our dreams. Probably because we don't learn much while sleeping so going to school is a lot more effective. Besides, if parents can handle an 8-9 hour workday, we can handle 6-7 hours as school.**

**Inviso-Al: This happens next! After this we have the March to the Sea campaign (shouldn't be much of a surprise. I did say I was going to do it before.)  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom **

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"Ugh, what am I going to do?" Danny said as he searched yet another street in the Union camp looking for Sam. They weren't really streets but just the area between the rows of tents and other makeshift buildings that soldiers walked through. Danny had been searching for 3 hours trying to find Sam and he still didn't know what he was going to say when he found her. Whenever he though of that, a picture of the cowering soldiers from the night before would cloud his thoughts. He had never seen a soldier more afraid of anyone in his entire life. So, what would she do to him when he tells her the news.

Danny thought about all the ways Sam could kill him before agreeing that dealing with the colonel was definitely the easier part in his plan.

After searching what must've been the 30th street, Danny decided to go back to the mess hall. After all, what better way to find someone then talking to the people they usually associate with. Granted, these people hate him, but it was his only lead.

Danny walked through the entrance of the building and tried to ignore the glares that came from some of the soldiers. He noticed one man who was with Sam earlier in the day and decided to ask him. "Hey you!" he shouted out to the man. Of course that tactic failed when half the cafeteria began to stare at Danny.

With a red face, he put his head down and slowly trudged over to the soldier. He really didn't want to make his reputation any worse than it was.

"Hey, you are part of the 17th Kentucky, right?" Danny asked as he looked at the food the man was eating. Mashed potatoes and some steak. Not bad considering most other soldiers were eating things from a can if that.

"Uh, yeah." the man responded while following Danny's gaze. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if you knew where Sam Manson is." Danny said, purposely using "Sam" so he wouldn't have to give her gender away.

The man ate a spoonful of the mashed potatoes before answering. "Oh her. She went to this small pond just outside of the camp. I wouldn't go there though. She likes to think of the pond as hers and doesn't want strangers near it."

Great, just another reason for Sam to hate him. Why did the one person he actually had to be with for his mission have to hate him. Was this the Universe's version of karma. If it was, then there would be a lot worse coming. Danny got out of his seat and was about to leave, when the man stopped him. "Wait a second. You look familiar. What's your name?"

Danny gave him a blank look. "You must be mistaken. I haven't seen you before." He ended the conversation by walking out of the mess hall and towards the pond to find Sam. Or at least where he thought it would be.

* * *

Danny should've known this was a bad idea. A REALLY bad idea. When he was a child, his mother, who was a big proponent for equal rights for women, always said to him "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". Over the years, Danny didn't understand what she meant, but now he was beginning to realize it. Sam, for whatever reason, terrified him. Maybe it was because she had proven to be able to hold her own quite easily, or the fact that Danny can't hit a girl, but there was something different about her that Danny found unnerving. If that wasn't enough, he was always reminded of this fact whenever he saw her bright purple eyes. The exact same eyes he was staring at from across the pond.

Of course Sam didn't notice him. She was too busy sitting on a rock and waving a wooden stick in the water making all the fish in it scatter. Danny slowly approached her from the other side of the pond, not caring if he got his feet wet. "Ms. Manson!" he called out about halfway across the pond.

The smile on Sam's face quickly vanished when she heard Danny's voice, and was replaced by a scowl.

"What do you want?" she asked. "Wait, I don't even care. Just get out of here. You shouldn't even be here."

Danny didn't stop his approach and eventually reached the other end of the pond with his shoes and lower legs dripping wet. "I'm sorry but I can't do that. There is something I need you to sign."

Sam raised an eyebrow and went back to poking the water with her fish. "What is it?"

Danny took a deep breath and prepared himself for Sam's reaction. "Orders to cut you term in half in exchange for me joining your unit with you."

"What!?" Sam shouted as she jumped up off of the rock she was sitting on before. "Why would I ever do that!? I need to stay in the army to prove myself to these men. If I leave early, then I would be getting special treatment and no one would respect me. I need this respect to help women everywhere so we can someday be the equals to men like you!"

Danny did his best to remain calm. He knew that yelling at her wouldn't help the situation. "What you're doing right now will not effect women's rights. You are masquerading as a man. How will people know that you are really a woman?"

A huge smile came to Sam as she stared off into the clouds. "They will hear of the brave warrior from the 17th Kentucky from my fellow comrades. The warrior who fought and battled like everyone else! Who captured the toughest cities and stormed the most guarded forts! The soldier who was a woman in disguise!

Danny couldn't help but see the naive views of this girl. Like she could actually make the difference to the world. She didn't seem to realize that she was just a pawn in someone else's game...yet. "Sam-"

"Don't Sam me!" she shouted. "Everyone respects me. Everyone but you at least."

"I know but Sam-" Danny tried to say as he was rubbing his temples but was once again cut off.

"You don't know! Everyone in here treats me like an equal. Like I am one of them. They don't care that I'm a girl!"

"Yes they do!" Danny shouted without thinking. "Have you heard how the men talk about you behind your back. They don't respect you and probably never will. You're just some naive girl that they can use as a tool for their games." Danny eventually realized what he said and his eyes widened. "I didn't mean to say that." It wad too late though, because Sam already swung her fist and it connected with Danny's jaw. He was sent tumbling to the ground and had to pick himself up. "That was uncalled for!" he shouted as he wiped away the blood coming out of his mouth. The entire time thinking of how that was the exact opposite reaction he was expecting. Every time he thinks he has her figured out, she throws him a curve ball.

Sam curled up her fist again and readied herself for another punch. "Just get out of here. You aren't even wanted so why don't you just leave!?"

Danny plopped himself on the ground and looked over the pond. "Because I need the money." He said, not caring that Sam was still ready to punch him at any second. "I have been participating in this war for far too long. I just want to go and find a place that doesn't have to deal with this bloodshed. I heard that it can be nice out west. Well, depending on where you go. I may just try my luck out there. Before I can do any of that though, I need the money from returning you to your parents."

Sam calmed down once she noticed Danny's mood change in the blink of an eye. Even if he was a liar, there was no way he was lying about what he just said. Sam sat down right next to Danny. "Well I need to stay in the army for what I believe in."

Danny opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. Both sat in silence for a couple minutes. "How 'bout this? " he asked. "You want to make a difference for women's rights on the battlefield and I want to get paid so I never have to do someone's dirty work ever again, right?"

Sam nodded her head, waiting for Danny to continue. "Then let's make a deal. I will do EVERYTHING I can to make sure that you not only get out of here alive, but also become a hero on the battlefield. That is, as long as you agree to come with me once your new term is up and return to your family so I can get paid, and we never see each other again. Fair?

Sam laid back against the rock and closed her eyes. She didn't say anything because she didn't know what to say. The man did seem to be honest about his part of the deal, so she had no reason to distrust him, but she didn't want to go back to her parents. She hated feeling like a mindless doll being controlled by its masters. Though, if it not only helped women everywhere but also got this person's dreams to come true, she would do it. Oddly enough, she felt perfectly safe around him. Sam opened her eyes and smiled. "Fine, I accept your deal."

Danny looked at Sam's smile and couldn't help but feel all tingly inside. Even though he barely knew this girl, he wanted to make her smile as much as he could. The mercenary got onto his feet and was about to walk away, when an idea hit him. "Ms. Manson, stay where you are. I'll be back soon." Danny quickly dashed off, barely able to hear Sam's next words.

"Ok, but you better start calling me Sam. Don't think I can't kick you ass!"

* * *

At his tent, Danny finally found what he was looking for. Slightly covered up by his blanket and other materials laid his Henry rifle. It was definitely a beautiful gun and helped him out of several sticky situations, but he figured it would also make a good peace offering. Also, since he was supposed to protect Sam, and rifles wasn't really his style- though he would be forced to take a Springfield with him- it would have more of a use with Sam.

After grabbing it and finding his remaining bullets, he lugged the rifle all the way back to the pond. Sam was sitting in the same exact spot he told her to wait. He didn't even think she moved an inch. "Here," he said as he handed Sam the musket with her mouth agape. "This is for you as a sign of our agreement. It should handle a lot better than whatever rifle you used before, and if you need any help you can always come to me."

"Wow, this is beautiful." Sam said as she put her hand on the engravings of the rifle. "Who gave this to you?"

"A friend of your parents, the sheriff, gave it to me before I left."

Sam raised an eyebrow and looked up at Danny. _Sheriff? I don't remember my parents befriending a sheriff. There was Sheriff Jacobs, but he died in Perryville. Yeah. I even remember my parents going to his grave and placing some flowers on it. It was all to gain public opinion though, after it came out that they were paying their workers in a nearby factory next to nothing. _Sam opened her mouth to speak, but decided to give her parents the benefit of the doubt. What reason would her parents have to keep secrets from Danny anyway. "Let's head back." Sam said as she looked up at the approaching storm clouds. "I feel like a storm's coming."

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**So, this story is going pretty slow in my opinion. Next chapter should definitely speed things up so don't worry. What will happen? Will Danny get shot? How about Sam? Will a nuke fall and blow everyone up? If you think it's the last one then you should really brush up on your U.S history. Anway, please review!  
**

**Reviews:**

**Guest: I had their argument go in five directions. It was tough picking one of them.**

**Inviso-Al: This chapter? Nothing heroic. Next chapter? I don't know how far it will go, but it probably won't be heroic. Actually, it might be the opposite.**

**Guest(2): Sorry, but that is a really big request for someone like me. I try to update three stories in order and since school started, I don't have a lot of free time. I will try my best to update frequently though!**

**AJ: My school also doesn't have heat (it's being renovated VERY slowly). Last I heard, we should get air conditioning sometime around spring, and heat somewhere in winter. Yeah, it's going to suck. Funny how I am answering your world question right after Obama wants a war with Syria (which I don't support). At least he is doing it constitutionally though.**

** this is life? There will always be war. It actually helps the economy (post WW2 America). It's horrible but true. As for the other disasters, that's just life.**

**2.I was in Algebra one in 8****th**** grade and algebra 2 my sophomore year. Now I am in Honors Pre Calc.**

** .**

**4. Bananas are yellow because they have a chemical called Auxin in them that makes them grow towards the sun and also turns the outer layer yellow. See the powers of Google?**

**5. I decline to answer.**

**6. Space is black because there is no surface for light to reflect off of. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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Danny had to admit, he had enjoyed the week that passed since his agreement with Sam. Sure, the other soldiers were even more jealous and did whatever they could to piss off Danny. This included taunting him, trying to trip him in the cafeteria, trying to spread false rumors around the camp to turn everyone against him, stealing his food, and even starting a fight with him. That ended with 2 soldiers being sent to the field hospital with broken noses and one with a broken rib. Everyone seemed to back off after that.

That wasn't why Danny's week was great though. Sam asked him to teach her the basics of using the Henry rifle he gave her and this gave him more time to talk to her. Through their conversations, Danny learned that she had a naive outlook on life and although annoying at times, it was quite refreshing for Danny to hear. Sam also greatly improved with her marksmanship and was almost as good as Danny. She could even surpass him eventually. Of course that meant that she was most likely shooting at Confederate soldiers and not inanimate targets like at camp. Danny still didn't know how to feel about that.

Of course all good things had to come to an end and today was Danny's time.

It started off rather normally. Danny woke up and rolled up his sleeping bag. He then instinctively started searching for his Henry rifle. He missed his that gun. It gave him that added comfort at night knowing that he was protected. Now he just had some standard issue Springfield and he wasn't allowed to bring it into his tent. It was kept in some sort of makeshift armory near the mess hall.

Danny found his uniform and put it out. That thing was very itchy and was irritating. Of course during combat you are too worried about getting shot to notice the itch, but that's not the point. At first, Danny despised his uniform. He felt like he sold his soul once again to the devil. It did help around camp though. Since he would no longer wear his old outfit, some of the soldiers began to lay off him because they could no longer tell him apart from the rest of the blue coats.

After shivering due to the morning cold, Danny opened the flap of his tent and was greeted by frost on the grass surrounding him. If only he had a heavier uniform to wear. He chose to ignore the freezing sensation as best he could and focus on the growing crowd of soldiers near the mess hall. It was too early for breakfast so what were they doing?

Danny walked over to the forming crowd and easily melted into their ranks. Most of the soldiers in the crowd seemed to be from other regiments. There was no way the 17th had that many men. While he nudged his way to the center, he noticed Sam walking away with a confident yet malicious grin on her face. This made Danny all but run past the soldiers to get to the center.

"Yes my soldiers," a voice said over the chatter of men. Danny soon recognized the voice as Colonel Hoskins. The mercenary pushed further forward and was finally able to see the colonel standing on a table with a melancholy frown. "I have my orders from Uncle Billy himself. We have been ordered to fall behind the 21st Ohio on our march through Georgia. We are supposed to be 100,000 strong, but two armies lead by General Thomas are returning to Nashville for support over there. In other words, our army with be a little shorter than before. Please strike your tent and pack any useful materials. Everything else we'll burn. Any questions?"

The sound of "No, sirs" were deafening to Danny's ears.

The general took a step off the table but stopped on it's seat. "Before I go, will the members of the 17th Kentucky please report to my tent. I have special orders for you." the Colonel said staring directly at Danny.

The mercenary turned soldier couldn't help but sighed as he once again muscled his way through the crowd. There were cheers and laughter as the men seemed to joke with themselves about the upcoming campaign. Some were saying how the Confederates would run at the first sight of them as they marched orderly through the grassland; others were talking about how they were going to kill the first Confederate they saw. There were a few soldiers though that had sunken heads and dragged their feet across the ground. These soldiers, Danny could easily tell, were the veterans who have already seen battle. The men laughing probably haven't ever even seen combat. They reminded him of himself before he marched to his first battle at Bull Run. What a disaster the turned out to be. He barely escaped with the skin of his teeth.

Danny decided that he should listen to what Hoskins said and headed over to the tent. He didn't want to hear any of the rookies anyway. It wouldn't be able to take it when he would see their broken expressions after their first taste of bloodshed.

The mercenary opened the flap to the command tent and was greeted by 25 other soldiers standing in the tent. One of them being Sam. "Ah, Daniel." Hoskins said, turning away from the group to face him. "I was wondering if your were even going to show."

Danny straightened his back and gave a salute. "Sorry sir, it's a little crowded outside."

The Colnel began rubbing his beard in thought. "I suppose it is. I was just telling these men here your new assignment. The army won't be getting supplies for the march so we will have to live off the land."

A spark of resentment shone through Danny's eyes, but he did his best to hide it. Hoskins still saw it though. "I know what you're thinking," the commander said, "I am, in fact, talking about pillaging. It's a necessary evil. I assigned the 17th Kentucky as one of the regiments in charge of the pillaging. Find whatever food you can and comandeer it for the Union. Try not to kill anyone though. I don't want this being any more brutal than it has to ne, understood?"

"Yes sir." Danny said as he stared at his feet. He couldn't look the commander in the eye.

Hoskins nodded his head in aproval. He waved his hand to let the soldiers leave before a thought struck him with most of the men gone except Danny. "I know you won't like this Daniel. Right now the 17th is being split into 6 different parties of five soldiers. You and Sam will be in the same group so don't worry. If you perform above my expectations, then you will be promoted and allowed to lead your group."

Danny should've turned around to face the colonel; he should've said something, but he choose to do nothing and just leave the tent. After all, there was nothing he could think of to say.

After the short exchange with the Colonel, Danny tried to talk to Sam, but gave up when he saw her drinking a mug of beer and laughing with some other soldiers. Soon she would have the exact opposite expression on her face and either break from the trauma and go insane, or be in an eternal depression. Danny was still fighting through the latter. Though, it was a losing battle. Maybe that's why he felt a great pain in his chest as the thought of that soon happening to Sam.

A wave of determination spread over Danny as he tried to fight through the pain. No, he wouldn't let that happen. It was the man's duty to protect the woman.

Danny watched as Sam competed in an arm wrestling match with another soldier and win. The man became beet red and tried to silently walk away from the scene as all the other soldiers laughed at him. Maybe Sam didn't need Danny's protection though. Maybe she could find a third path that didn't involve insanity of depression. Maybe she wouldn't lose herself in battle.

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**Just a little thinking from a certain protagonist we all know. Oh, and war. Who doesn't love that? Just me? Ok then. Things are starting to heat up now. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, then please review!**

**Just a little history lesson that might help you guys understand what happened in this chapter. When Colonel Hoskins (who was the real leader of the 17****th**** Kentucky) talked about "Uncle Billy" he was just saying the soldiers' nickname for General William Tecumseh Sherman.**

**Reviews:**

**Inviso-Al: This is what I mean by that. Well really next chapter on, but this basically says what will happen.**

**Guest: And I update the very next day. This was close enough, right?**

**AJ: I am a Catholic. I'm not really religious, but I do believe in the Catholic faith so. Congrats on the A. I have 2 essays to write and some studying to do (stupid pre-calc).**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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Danny should've known.

He should've known that this time wouldn't be any different. He should've known that before he even signed the contract. Why would things have changed? He was still marching through enemy territory like before, He still had orders to take a city, and there was still an enemy force in the way. So why did he believe Hoskins when the Colonel told him this time would be different?

Danny couldn't help but second guess his judgment as he, and the 4 other members of his squad marched up onto a small farm. He already knew his orders, he was supposed to find any food and valuables he could and bring them back to the Union camp. But he also knew that meant that many innocent civilians would die and he didn't want to be a part of that. At least not again. "Okay, men." the leader of the party who, if Danny remembered correctly, was named William said. "Have your rifles at the ready and be prepared for a fight. Don't forget to grab as much food and valuables as you can carry."

Danny watched as a small smile spread across Sam's face as they approached a nearby farmhouse. Was he wrong in assuming that she was actually a kind hearted girl who would grow to hate the war just like he had? Or had the war already caught up to her and now all she wanted was the blood of her enemies?

No, Danny couldn't believe that. Not after he helped train her to use her Henry rifle. Not when her remembered her smile after she would successfully reloading her rifle. No, it was just the damned corruption that plagued everyone else in this war. It took the soul of even those still living and seemed to just leave a broken husk of a man. Does that mean had no soul? Maybe he was already dead and he hadn't realized it yet.

"Hey Danny, what are you doing!? William asked as he and the rest of the squad stared at the mercenary. It was only now that Danny realized his superior officer already gave him the orders to move up to the house and he hadn't budged. Sam and another soldier were placed at either sides of the door and were preparing to breach the house. "Are you going to move or what!?" William yelled at Danny. The mercenary was beginning to wonder why the owner of the farm hadn't come out of the farmhouse just to check out the commotion from William.

Slowly Danny took a step toward the house but stopped. "I can't." he whispered.

"What'd you say?" William asked as he slowly approached Danny.

Danny took a small gulp of air. "I said I can't."

Everyone in the squad could hear the crack of William's knuckles as he looked at the mercenary with only contempt. "I just gave you an order soldier. Are you going to knowingly defy it?"

Danny didn't respond. He didn't even move. If he did, that would only give William a reason to attack.

"You don't want Colonel Hoskins to hear about this, do you? I will tell him if you don't move your ass and do what I say! Now, move up unless you no longer love your family!"

_What family? _Danny couldn't help but think under his superior's glare. Danny still didn't move though. He knew he was tempting fate. After all, the mercenary could already tell that this man wasn't the most patient of souls. But would dying right there and then really be a bad thing? Dying for something he believed in had a nice ring to it. Then again, he wasn't exactly protecting the innocent like he believed; just not harming them. What did he have left in his life though? The man's threat only made Danny realize that he had nothing in his life. His parents died a while ago from disease, his sister was killed after being hit by a rogue cannonball while treating some Union soldiers in a field hospital, and Tucker died in Danny's arms while on the battlefield. Heck, the only reason why he was doing this in the first place was so he could run away from his problems here. The same problems that he somehow got himself back into.

While Danny was contemplating the biggest choice he could possibly make, William grabbed the pistol around his belt and held it up to the mercenary's head. The only thing that shown in the soldier's eyes were the possibility of his next kill. The man just had to label Danny a deserter and no one in this squad would say otherwise. No one would questions the reasons for Danny being shot there and then.

Danny didn't even glitch though. Actually, he did just the opposite. He closed his eyes and faced the sky with a calm smile on his face. Finally he could have the escape he had always been hoping for. It just took him this long to realize it. There was nothing left for him on this world. The next though, held everything he could possibly want. His family.

William's frown turned into a malicious grin as he put his finger on the trigger. "Well you stupid Merc, with the power of Captain in the United States Armed Forces, I label you a deserter and a traitor to the United States and our fair Constitution. As such, you shall be executed immediately. Sam, Charles, when I fire this gun I want you two to storm the farm. I'm not letting our mission be blown just because this traitor forced me to fire my gun, got it?

"Yes, sir!" Charles said as he picked up his rifle and pointed his bayonet at the door ready to charge in. Sam hesitated though and looked back at Danny. "Sir, isn't it a little extreme to label this man a traitor? He may have second guessed your judgment, but is that worth killing him over?"

The captain of the regiment glared directly at Sam with his pistol still touching Danny's skull "Shut it, woman! When I want a woman's opinion then I will ask for it." he looked between Danny and Sam and eventually stared at the ground before returning his attention to Sam. "On my command!

Sam visibly tensed as she watched her commanding officer keep his finger on the trigger for his pistol. "One. Two. Three. Now!"

To the surprise of everyone, the commander smashed the butt of his pistol right into the cheek of Danny, sending him to the ground.

No one had to time react though, as a lone woman inside the farmhouse looked through a window on the upper floor and saw the soldiers.

"Aaaaaagh!" She screamed as she began running down the stairs towards the other side of the house.

"Damnit!" the captain swore as he heard the screams of the owner. "You two were supposed to have stormed the house!" he said glaring at both Sam and Charles. "Charles, take Joe" the captain pointed at the soldier that was to the other side of Sam, "and find that woman. Sam, search the house for anyone else and start grabbing the food and valuables. I'll stay here and make sure this merc here doesn't try to run away."

"Yes, sir!" all three soldiers said, though Sam's was less enthusiastic than the other two.

Charles and Joe began running off to the side of the house while Sam picked up her rifle and trudged on into the house. Even with the sun shining through the windows, the house was still pretty dark. Not dark enough for Sam to not see where she was going, but it was harder to make things out on the other side of the room. That, mixed with the silence inside the house made Sam really nervous. If someone were to jump her then and there, her rifle be useless. She really wished she bought a bayonet for it while she was in Atlanta. Too bad she would never get the chance. She took one step forward and heard a creek as her foot slowly pressed on the next piece of wood.

"Is anyone there?" she called as she inched through the house with her rifle at her chest.

Of course no one answered making Sam a little less tense. She slowly began climbing the staircase to the second level listening for any noise besides her own two feet. There seemed to be three doors up there all leading to a different room. She approached the first one and opened it with her gun raised. The only thing there seemed to be an empty bed and dirty paper all over the floor._ What was the woman doing here?_

Sam bent over and picked up a piece of paper. On it appeared the names of several regiments in the Union army. At first Sam was confused. Why would this lady have written _the names of Union troops? _She thought. That is, until she read one of the lines. "20th Ohio infantry sighted at rear flank of Union army. Numerous farms have been burnt down in the area. Likely by Union soldiers. Total men appear to be 80,000 to 100,000.

Same couldn't read any further. Instead, she threw the paper onto the floor and immediately began running down the stairs. "Captain! Captain!" she began shouting.

William poked his head through the doorway. "What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Sam stopped right next to her commanding officer out of breath. "Sorry *gasp* sir, but the girl that ran is *gasp a Confederate spy. She has been writing information about our army. Who knows how many letters *gasp* she already sent to Savannah."

William brought out his pistol once again and began looking at it. "Looks like this thing will get some use after all. There was no one else inside the house, right?"

Sam shook her head "No, sir".

The captain looked back at the still unconscious Danny and then the house. "Good. I want you to burn this house down and make sure this man here, "The captain paused to poke Danny with his foot. "Doesn't run away or hinder your progress. I'm going to find that spy and kill her."

"Sir!?" Sam instinctively shouted. With the captain's eyes on her, she realized the only thing she could do was continue her thought. "I-isn't a little extreme to kill her, s-sir?"

William walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you know what the punishment for treason is?"

Sam couldn't look at the man. She choose to stare at the grass instead. "Y-yes, sir. It's death, sir."

A small smile formed on the man's face, but Sam could tell it was fake. "That's right. It's only a question of when she is to be executed and I choose now."

The captain took his arm off San and walked around her. "Sir," Sam called out to her superior. "Before you go, can you tell me why you didn't kill Danny?"

The man paused for a second. "So his name's Danny. I didn't kill him because Hoskins likes him and I want to gain favor with Hoskins. I can't do that by killing one of his favorite soldiers. Also, it would just look bad if there's a death on one of my missions."

Sam couldn't help but feel guilty for what has happened. Both for Danny getting hit and for the spy's imminent execution. She almost watched as someone she knew died. What happens if Danny was killed? What would she have done then? Sam didn't have an answer and was soon glad she still had a task to do. This gave her something to do so she didn't have to think; even if this something was taking the valuables of a house and burning it down.

Sam walked back into the and grabbed a bag laying on the floor. She then started opening up cabinets and throwing the supplies into the bag. After that was done, she started throwing powder on both floors of the house and lit the fuse. Right before she did she could hear a weapon fire off into the distance. She already knew what it was though. This would be the Spy's last message. Hopefully whatever divine spirit will be nicer to the spy than the captain has.

Once the house was ablaze, Sam sat down right next to Danny on the grass. "Does this ever get easier?" she asked as she started ripping grass off the ground and tossing it into the air, not expecting an answer.

"No, it never does." the conscious Danny said, looking up at the sky from his position on the grass.

* * *

**Odd factoid: from when I began writing to now, my chapters have about doubled in length. **

**So I did get a few complaints that wanted to have more of Sam in this story so I hope this is what you wanted. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, then please leave a review!**

**Inviso-Al: I'm doing the best I can. At least this chapter is longer than usual, right?**

**Guest: And I make you wait anyway. I am just a cruel heartless person, aren't I? At least it finally came though.**


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